Unforeseen Future
by Chayner
Summary: One small change. A differently taken course of action. That was everything it required for the entire future to be rewritten. That was what led to their destinies to be intertwined. For him to meet her, and for her to see that there can be hope beyond despair. Now all that remains is to watch their new future unfold. [Non-Canon Naruto], [Godlike Naruto].
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary. This is a nonprofit, fan-made work and I expect it to be treated as such. The only things that I own are my ideas and the iPad I used to write this.**

**Before we get to anything that is actually related with the topic of this fanfiction, I would like to state that English is not my native language and that this is my first work of this type. However, this doesn't mean that I'm not willing to improve my English or my writing style. I shall be doing my best to prevent any grammar errors, but if I happen to miss something, please feel free to point it out for me.**

**Now, onto the subject of the story itself. This story takes place in the Mirai Nikki universe, more precisely the first world, so there will be no parallel world Yuno. Also, Yukiteru, the main character from the anime/manga will be replaced by Naruto, so expect some things to go different in this story. I might include Yukiteru in some scenes along the story, but for all purposes he's just a side character that won't have much of an impact on the plot itself.**

**Before we go on with the story, I'd like to remind everyone that if you do not wish to read about a story featuring a godlike Naruto, who is also not the happy-go-lucky retard that we all eventually came to love, this is NOT the story for you. If that is the case, then I kindly ask you to leave, as to not waste your time and patience doing something that you obviously do not enjoy.**

**And lastly, I'm open to constructive criticism. If you wish to say something that would help me improve the story, please feel free to drop a review or simply message me.**

**Now, I believe that I had delayed you long enough, my dear readers. So without further ado, here is the story! Also, I wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and for those who do not celebrate Christmas, I wish you all Happy Holidays!**

#######

**Prologue: The God of Chakra**

**[Unknown Island — Pacific]**

Standing on a beach that belonged to an exotic looking island were two odd figures, one male and the other had a somewhat human appearance, but that's where the similarities ended.

The first figure was a pale-skinned male that had spiky, silvery-white waist-length hair with shoulder-length bangs framing the sides of his face and covering most of his right eye. He appeared relatively young, probably in his late teens and was quite tall, reaching up to five feet and ten inches.

The young man looked quite ethereal with long silvery hair and pale white eyes that seemed to give off a slight glow. This appearance was also complimented by his garments which consisted of a full-bodied black garment with black pants, gloves and boots, over which he wore a flowing white robe with six black magatama markings across his chest and a strange pattern resembling an eye with a black dot for a pupil and four concentric circles surrounding it on his back. Below the odd marking there could be seen nine black magatama markings in rows of three along with additional black magatama markings around his sleeve cuffs and the rim of his robe.

Yet, probably the most striking of his features, excluding his rather unique choice for a weapon which was an orange-brown gunbai carried on his back, or the third eye on his forehead with its eyelids part vertically which was momentarily closed showing only a faint line where the eyelids met, were the flickering motes of silvery chakra that constantly wafted off his flowing white robe.

He was Uchiha Naruto, the **God of Chakra (Chakura no Kami)** and the second person known to have eaten the Chakra Fruit of the Shinju.

He was currently looking in mild confusion at the strange place he found himself into and was contemplating about the events that led to this happening.

The male's companion was quite the oddity. He looked more plant than human with chalk white skin and the two Venus flytrap-like extensions that emerged from his sides, enveloping his head and upper body as a shell, which he was able to open and close at will. Right now, the plant-like extensions were opened revealing a grinning face with two pale yellow eyes and a mop of short green hair. He was clothed in a long, dark cloak with red clouds, a red interior, and a chin-high collar as a reminder of the former Akatsuki organization which he once took part of. Under his Akatsuki cloak, he wore blue pants and sandals, and had both legs wrapped in bandages. On each of his fingers he wore a ring, each with a different symbol on a colored background.

These were the rings of the former Akatsuki members which he collected after their deaths and decided to hold onto them as souvenirs. He also had his fingernails painted pink and his toenails painted blue.

This unique individual was Zetsu, more precisely White Zetsu, a mutated human and one of the first victims of the **Infinite Tsukuyomi**. He acted as a spy for Madara and after his death for Naruto while being extremely trustworthy, obedient and loyal. Though he annoyed Naruto at first, Zetsu eventually became friends with him after discovering they both had a few similar interests, like teasing others or sometimes pulling what he liked to call 'innocent' pranks. Though, in reality most of these 'pranks' usually had the effect of permanently scarring their victims.

"How in the name of chakra did we end up in this godforsaken place!?" the young man asked rhetorically while looking at the ocean surrounding the island he was currently on. This wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he thought about visiting other dimensions.

His half plant companion grinned, showing his white teeth. "Well, it's probably because of what happened on that day... " It was that day when, due to one randomly taken course of action, the whole outcome was changed, and the future of the shinobi world was completely rewritten.

#######

_(flashback)_

_**[Mountains' Graveyard — Elemental Nations]**_

_White Zetsu was having a fairly good day if one were to ask. Why? Because he just finished eating one of those 'chewy' people his master sent him to dispose of, and that person was even tastier than he expected! Unfortunately the poor guy was already dead when he found him and that took away some of his excitement, but the taste made up for it! 'I can't wait to tell Naruto-sama that some humans really do taste like chicken~' Zetsu thought excitedly._

_While he was walking through the seemingly endless labyrinth that made up the hallways of the hideout he suddenly heard a deep voice coming from one of the adjacent rooms. "Hmm...wonder what is Black Zetsu up to now..." the half-plant creature muttered to himself with genuine curiosity. Now being the curious fellow that he was, he couldn't possibly ignore this opportunity that might even provide him some form of entertainment, so he decided to check it out._

_Oh, if he only knew how this encounter would change the outcome of all future events._

_Activating his Mayfly technique, he silently approached the chamber where the sounds were coming from while thinking about how he could surprise his black, less cheerful and more serious counterpart._

_#######_

_Black Zetsu was definitely not having a good day. First he had to keep the usual obedient lapdog act for that old fool, and now he had to do the same for his brat of a grandson. And since it wasn't enough, he somehow lost his handmade miniature statue replica of his dear mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki while running some stupid errand for his so called 'master'. Now he would have to search this whole infuriating labyrinth of a cavern for who knows how long. "Idiot Kakuzu who designed these shallow pocketed Akatsuki cloaks. Always the stingy bastard when it comes to spending money..." he grumbled in annoyance._

_After a couple hours of arduous searching of every inch this tunnel system had to offer, he finally found his precious treasure. Pleased with the fruits of his labour, he went into a nearby room to make sure the statue was still in pristine condition._

_Relieved that the statue sustained no damage, he started reminiscing about the first time he saw his mother, on the day he was created, and then thought again about how his plans to revive her had gone so far._

_Black Zetsu was so immersed in his thoughts about his beloved mother that he didn't notice himself actually voicing them. "Everything is going according to plan. In a few years all the preparations will be made and then mother's revival will be finally possible" he said with actual emotion in his voice."That brat will never suspect anything, just like his old fool of a grandfather never did. He still thinks I'm the obedient pawn for him to use however he pleases. It's laughable how easy it was to trick them. All I had to do was to fake my own origins and lead Madara to believe that he actually created me. Heh, what fools!" he said again, contempt lacing his voice._

_#######_

_Imagine White Zetsu's surprise when he saw his counterpart talking to himself about his hidden agenda while mocking his master about being manipulated so easily, and that no one will ever suspect anything._

_...wait, WHAT!? 'I knew this guy was crazy and a little delusional but this takes the cake' thought White Zetsu in disbelief. 'I will have to inform Naruto-sama at once' he quickly added while sinking into the floor._

_#######_

_Uchiha Naruto was pretty content with his life so far, even if he had lost his parents at birth. When he was told about who his parents had been, he was pretty shocked. But who wouldn't be? Being told that you have the ancestry of three great clans tends to leave you at least a little fazed._

_His mother was Uzumaki Kushina, the second Kyūbi jinchūriki after Uzumaki Mito. She was chosen because of her Uzumaki heritage, since only those of the Uzumaki Clan had been known to be able to hold the Nine-Tails as a jinchūriki. Also, there existed another reason for her being chosen, but only a few people knew it, and all of them took it to the grave after the fall of The Village Hidden in the Whirlpools. Her father was from the Senju Clan and met her mother while on a diplomatic mission in Uzushiogakure. Shortly after, he fell in love with her and decided to remain there and start a family._

_His father was Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure. He was famous for his space-time jutsu the Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) that earned him the moniker Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō (Konoha's Yellow Flash) after he decimated an entire Iwa battalion with it. But probably his biggest trump card and secret was his bloodline, the Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye) which he inherited from his father, Uchiha Madara. He obtained his Mangekyō Sharingan (Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye) after he witnessed his mother's death after a sneak attack from one of the missing-nin that attacked their home. His father was unable to get there in time because of the sheer number of enemies that created a diversion to slow him down. Filled with grief, Madara decided that the world was not worth saving and returned to his initial plans of creating a new world where there would be no conflicts. He asked his son to forgive him for not being able to raise him and told him to head towards his former village, where he would be safe._

_There he succesfully managed to hide his Uchiha ancestry, because he decided to not rely on his bloodline and therefore rarely used it, especially if he was not alone. His Uchiha ancestry was a secret that not even his wife, Kushina, had been privy to. Having such information accidentally leak could spark a series of disastrous events that could ultimately lead to someone finding about his father, and that would definitely not end well. After all, Madara was considered a traitor to the village that he had been chosen as a Hokage for._

_After the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, Naruto along with his twin sister, Kiyomi, were left orphans due to their parents' sacrifice to protect the village by sealing the Yang-Half of the Kyūbi into the latter, while the Yin-Half had been taken by their father, because it would have put too much of a strain if Kyūbi were to be sealed within one host. And sealing it within his son wasn't an option, since placing this kind of a burden on one of his children was more than enough._

_After having his death faked once the sealing was complete, and his parents were no longer among the living, Naruto was retrieved almost immediately by his grandfather's loyal spy, White Zetsu._

_Madara took upon himself to teach his grandson about all of the intricacies of the shinobi world, to ensure that he would be prepared for the future when his plans would be set into motion._

_Now, at the age of sixteen he was a very capable and strong shinobi thanks to his grandfather's harsh training regime. But even if he was proficient in most shinobi arts, he couldn't afford to slack in his training, so he continued improving himself by further honing his skills until he reached perfection._

_Naruto was currently in his chambers, meditating and concentrating on improving his chakra control, when he sensed a familiar presence appearing from the ground in front of him. He slowly opened his eyes, revealing onyx orbs that could pierce even the resolve of the most indomitable warriors._

_"What is it, Zetsu?" asked the blond youth while standing and stretching himself after several good hours of fruitful meditation._

_"Naruto-sama, I have found something most troubling after returning from my mission, when I accidentally stumbled upon Black Zetsu while he was talking to himself" voiced his cannibal friend, sounding quite distressed._

_Naruto quirked his eyebrows after seeing his usually cheerful and carefree companion act so out of his character. 'It must be something truly worrisome for him to act like this' concluded the young Uchiha while urging Zetsu to continue his explanation._

_"As I said, I was returning from my previous assignment when I heard a deep voice which I immediately recognized as Black Zetsu's coming from a nearby room, so I decided to check up on him and possibly try to surprise him with a 'harmless prank'. However, when I got there... "_

_#######_

_"... and that's everything Naruto-sama" voiced White Zetsu feeling some relief now that he managed to relay the crucial information to his master._

_"This is indeed most troubling" said Naruto while simultaneously thinking about the implications of such betrayal. "We have to change our plans according to this turn of events" continued the blond shinobi while slightly frowning. "We will show that traitor why the Uchihas are not to be trifled with" he ended with a ferocious grin that unnerved his fellow companion._

_#######_

_After meditating for a while to clear his thoughts, Naruto managed to devise a plan regarding their current predicament. After capturing the traitorous half-plant individual with the help of his more loyal counterpart, he decided to deal with the annoyance as soon as possible._

_Which is why we find them now in one of the most peculiar 'places' that anyone had the pleasure to see, if it could be classified as one anyway. This unique location was actually Naruto's Kamui dimension which was composed from an innumerable amount of randomly arranged and differently sized rectangular prisms amongst a dark and seemingly endless void._

_Naruto could be seen looking with a dark smirk at an immobilized and scowling Black Zetsu, who had quite the trouble dealing with the numerous chakra receiver stakes impaled in several areas of his body. "It seems Madara-ojisan was right about the chakra receiver rods... they can actually be pretty useful" said the young Uchiha with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Don't you agree with me Zetsu-san?" he further asked, being no longer able to prevent his face from breaking into a sinister grin that managed to unsettle even the normally stoic Black Zetsu._

_"Gloat all you want brat, but know that you won't get anything from me" Black Zetsu snarled. 'There is only only one possible way for him to force me to talk but that ability is so rare it only manifested once in the whole Uchiha history' he thought smirking triumphantly._

_'Now, if I could only find a way to escape and enact the emergency plans...' he considered. His thoughts came to an immediate halt and a surge of fear shot through his being when he noticed what the brat was about to do._

_'So this overgrown weed thinks he is untouchable, eh?' Naruto thought inwardly, at the same time starting to feed minute amounts of chakra to his eyes. 'Hoh? So this apparently got his attention?' he continued before opening his eyes, revealing crimson orbs with three black tomoe surrounding the dot-like pupil. He further increased the chakra flow to his eyes making them change once more. The result was instantaneous, making for a very intimidating sight. These new eyes were practically glowing with power and could probably kill weaker individuals with a mere glance._

_The new pattern appeared as three large tomoe with circles at their tops overlapping eachother at the bottoms and encircling the pupil. Between each two of the tomoe were thick straight lines that stretched outward. It also appeared that his eyes possessed a rare form variation known as __**Choku Tomoe (Straight Tomoe)**__, which grant the user fluidity in their movements when fighting._

_This was the __**Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan (Eien no Mangekyō Sharingan)**__, known to be achieved only once in the past by Uchiha Madara after having his brother transplant him his Mangekyō Sharingan. Doing so, one can recover from the blindness generated by the over usage of the Mangekyō Sharingan, but also bolster their own ocular power with that of the donor's._

_Black Zetsu was already starting to panic after witnessing those ominous eyes almost glow in the darkness of this dimension. They were even more frightening than Madara's, capable of inspiring dread with nothing but a glance. By now, he realized that he couldn't do anything to prevent himself from divulging his plans since those eyes meant that the infuriating blond knew exactly what was needed to break him._

_"Impossible... there was no one other than Uchiha Shisui in the whole clan history able to attain that technique" Black Zetsu muttered still in disbelief at what he was witnessing._

_The whiskered shinobi flashed he half-plant traitor a predatory grin that served to further unnerve him. "Then, I guess this makes me really one of a kind" he said with a chuckle while preparing to unleash his trump card._

_Soon after, he looked directly into Black Zetsu's widened eyes and uttered in a voice devoid of any emotion. __**"Kotoamatsukami!" (Distinguished Heavenly Gods)**_

_This technique was a dōjutsu that casts a powerful yet subtle mind-controlling genjutsu on the target. The user is able to enter their victim's mind and manipulate them by giving them false experiences, making it seem as if they were doing things of their own free will._

_"Now, Black Zetsu, tell me everything you know" said Naruto in a commanding tone. "Oh, and you can start at the very beginning since we have enough time to spare" he supplied._

_"Yes, Naruto-sama" Black Zetsu responded mechanically._

_#######_

_"Is that everything?" questioned the young Uchiha. He was still thinking about everything that he had learned so far, and it wasn't pleasant, not in the very least._

_"This is all, Naruto-sama" droned his newest puppet._

_'To think that we have all been fooled by this creature for centuries... it's beyond sickening' thought the blond with disgust marring his features. 'Our clan was subjected to the Curse of Hatred all these generations... and for what? All this death and misery... all these fights with the Senju Clan... our family members and friends... all dead for the ambitions of a madwoman' he continued, sorrow reflecting in his crimson eyes. 'But it all ends now. I cannot let this transgression slide, for otherwise I would not be able to live with myself knowing that I had the power to change something but I chose not to. I don't care if she was regarded as a goddess... I will show her that we are not her toys to be played with! She will come to regret the day she crossed the Uchiha!' he finished, clenching his fists until his fingernails were starting to draw blood. His resolve was set and no human or deity would stand in his way._

_(flashback end)_

#######

"You know that was a rhetorical question right, Zetsu? said Naruto amused.

"Of course, Naruto-sama" replied Zetsu cheerfully.

"Then why did you explain anyway?" asked the blond already feeling the signs of a headache.

"Oh, I just felt like doing it" the half-plant individual grinned, before he added. "Besides, you looked like you were quite stressed back then, so I thought that a story might calm you a little."

Naruto sweatdropped when he heard the first part of Zetsu's reasoning, however, when he heard the plant-like man continue, he felt his lips curl upward, forming a small smile. "I see..." It was in moments like these when he was reminded how lucky he had been to have someone like Zetsu as a good friend and loyal servant. "Thank you, Zetsu."

"It's alright, Naruto-sama" Zetsu replied with a smile. "Now where were I with the explanation? Oh, I remember! I was about to get to the best part!" he added excitedly, prompting Naruto to shake his head in amusement at his friend's exuberant attitude.

"That is something I can agree with" Naruto voiced after a few moments. He still had freshly in mind what followed next and it had been indeed a very amusing scene.

"Hehe, just remembering their dumbstruck faces when Madara-sama introduced you makes me laugh" Zetsu said with a chuckle, before he added, looking extremely amused. "They were certainly not expecting that turn of events. Especially Kaguya when she was revived."

"Mm-hmm." Naruto sounded. "I guess she didnt take into consideration the possibility of Black Zetsu screwing everything with his obsession for her" he said. "She was way too confident in her 'creation' and never thought that it could very well be her downfall."

"But I still think the ending was rather anti-climactic" Zetsu said dryly.

"You and I both know that we couldn't take any chances" explained the blond in a serious tone. "It was the safest way to end all of that insanity without risking too much."

Zetsu shuddered while thinking about what could have happened if Naruto was any less cunning when he dealt with the delusional goddess. "But that didn't make any of the preparations less a bitch to finish" sulked Zetsu.

"Would you have preferred to fight her head on and hope for a miracle?" asked the blond sarcastically.

"Touché" the plant-like individual replied defeatedly.

"I knew you would agree with me" Naruto said with a smug smirk.

"Yes, Naruto-sama. Now please stop interrupting me" Zetsu said with a pout. "I was getting to the best part" he said again with renewed excitement. It seems he was really enjoying his storytelling.

"Whatever, just hurry with your explanation. I would really like to leave this island as soon as possible. I'm quite curious about what else exists in this world" the silver haired young man said.

"Mou, so mean Naruto-sama" whined Zetsu childishly. "But don't worry, I'll forgive you" he continued while seemingly brightening up.

Naruto could only sigh at his friend's overly eccentric behavior. White Zetsu was a pleasant company, but sometimes he could be very quirky. 'Meh, way better than a backstabbing traitor with a mother complex.'

He was pulled out of his musings when his half plant companion resumed his storytelling. "After the whole ordeal with Black Zetsu you tried to come up with a plan that would catch Kaguya by surprise when she would be revived..." Zetsu trailed off.

#######

_(flashback)_

_**[Naruto's Hideout — Unknown Location]**_

_Uchiha Naruto was sitting at his study, appearing to be deep in concentration as he was reading an old and fragile looking scroll. This particular scroll had a multitude of kanji arranged in a complex manner forming some sort of core. From there on, several other lines of kanji branched in intricate designs which ended surrounding said core. Next to this complex looking design were inscribed a few notes on its functions as well as explanations on how it was created._

_The blond rolled the scroll pleased with his findings and rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes while thinking about how his plans were developing so far._

_'I have managed to completely brainwash Black Zetsu, making him believe that my orders are absolute and then I told him to stick to his previous plans while sending him back to Obito so that fool wouldn't come meddle into my affairs looking for him' Naruto thought, pleased with how everything was going so far._

_If he played his cards right, then he would be able to set up the perfect trap, and no one would suspect a thing. Everything will go the way it was supposed to until it was time for Kaguya's revival when he would interfere and enact his plan._

_'But for all of this to work I will have to design a seal complex enough to ensure that Kaguya wouldn't be able to even lift a finger.'_

_He reached the conclusion that the safest way to deal with the goddess would be through the use of seals, which is why he went and retrieved all of his grandfathers scrolls on this subject. He was able to find the required seals for the complete array, but now he had to tweak them a little to make sure they were compatible with eachother._

_'I could use a Yin-Yang based chakra suppression array for the inner seal matrix, a paralysis array for the middle seal matrix and a high powered barrier array for the outer seal matrix to make sure that no one would be able to enter after the seal was activated. Also, I would have to add multiple seals that prevent space-time manipulation as an outer shell bracketing the main seal array, since it would be annoying if someone like Obito could just teleport in and out at his leisure' contemplated Naruto with his face set into a deep frown._

_Deciding on using this type of seal array, the blond began his work on tweaking the seals to create probably the most complex sealing array ever seen. His Uzumaki lineage was proving itself extremely useful, since it helped him enormously in understanding these types of seals that would make even Jirayia stare dumbly while trying to figure them out._

_'But first I'll have to call Zetsu and get him up to date with what I've devised until now and also explain to him what his role is going to be' he concluded while leading to his chamber's door._

_(flashback end)_

#######

"I still cannot fully understand how you managed to design such a scary seal, Naruto-sama" said Zetsu in slight awe at his master's prowess with seals.

"Besides the fact that I'm an Uzumaki which gives me a superior comprehension when studying seals, I was also lucky to find one of the Uzumaki Clan's Yin-Yang manipulation based sealing scrolls in Madara-jiji's library" Naruto stated matter-of-factly.

"Ooh..." Zetsu sounded in dawning realization.

"Now quit getting sidetracked!" Naruto snapped in mild irritation. If the plant-like man was so adamant with telling this story, then he should stop getting sidetracked every ten minutes.

"Aye, Naruto-sama" Zetsu replied cheerfully. "I was just getting to the part where you revealed yourself. Anyway, as I was saying... " he resumed his storytelling once again.

#######

_(flashback)_

_**[Unknown Location — Elemental Nations]**_

_Uchiha Naruto was currently sitting cross legged while meditating. This exercise was very useful for calming one's mind in order to be able to focus much easier and think much clearer._

_He was suddenly roused from his deep concentration after sensing a very familiar chakra signature appear before him. He straightened himself and began stretching to remove any kinks from his muscles that might have formed after spending so much time without moving._

_Pleased with the sound of his joints popping back into place, he turned to face his guest while waiting for anything he might have to say regarding the recent developments._

_"It is time, Naruto-sama" voiced the mysterious figure._

_"Thank you for informing me, Zetsu" said Naruto in an even tone. "Now, that everything is prepared, we can finally begin the last phase of the plan."_

_The one identified now as Zetsu bowed respectfully and then sank into the ground disappearing completely. He would make sure that everything was in place for when his master arrived._

_Shortly after Zetsu disappeared, Naruto created twenty four sealless Kage Bunshins and handed each of them scrolls that contained the seal matrix parts required to form the final seal array._

_Half of the clones would place the scrolls that were needed to form the core of the array on three layers, each with four corners corresponding to the cardinal points, while the other half would place the scrolls that were needed to create the outer shell of the array which consisted of twelve segments placed around the outer layer of the core array._

_After all of the clones received their respective scroll, they all disappeared in a swirling distortion of space that originated from their right Sharingan eye. This technique was called __**Kamui (Authority of the Gods)**__ and was a powerful Mangekyō Sharingan dōjutsu able to create a unique and and specialized form of __**Jikūkan ninjutsu (space-time ninjutsu)**__. It would allow the user to achieve two very distinct, yet closely associated feats — teleportation and intangibility._

_When the last of the clones disappeared, Naruto too prepared to leave using Kamui, but before doing so, he sealed his equipment and belongings in the several storage seals that he had drawn on his arms for easier access during a battle._

_Donning his battle armor he holstered his gunbai on his back and then he disappeared in a vortex using Kamui. The final clash that would decide the future of the shinobi world was about to begin._

_#######_

_**[Fourth Shinobi World War's Battlefield — Land of Lightning]**_

_The ground was littered with a multitude of craters and fissures of varying sizes that judging from the still rising dust and debris were quite recently created._

_In the middle of this apocalyptic battlefield could be seen the smoking remains of something that resembled a gigantic tree. Only the roots were big enough to crush a two-story house as if it were nothing more than an insect while what remained of the severed trunk was still reaching a few hundred feet in height._

_Between the countless titanic sized roots there could be seen six figures. Two of them were females while the others were males, though one of the males had the left side of his body by some kind of gooey black substance._

_The youngest male and the older one, along with the two females appeared to have been fighting with the oldest male for some time, while the odd looking figure seemed to be watching their fight with a look of insane glee on his face._

_The youngest male was Uchiha Sasuke, member of the newly reformed Team 7 along with Uzumaki Kiyomi, Haruno Sakura and their sensei Hatake Kakashi. At the age of seventeen he was quite handsome. He was fair-skinned and had onyx eyes, though currently his left eye was morphed in a purple Rinnegan with nine tomoe while the right eye was a matured Sharingan. He had black chin length hair that was spiky in the back while in the front it was hanging over his forehead. His clothing consisted of a grey high-collared short-sleeved shirt that had a zipper, blue wrist warmers, a pair of black pants secured with a belt sash around his waist and black shinobi sandals._

_The female to his left was Kiyomi Uzumaki, also a member of Team Seven as well as the Child of the Prophecy. She was quite the beauty with her long sun kissed blond hair and azure blue eyes. However, her most prominent physical characteristics were the three whisker marks on each of her cheeks. She was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt that was covered by a black and orange long-sleeved jacket, dark-colored pants and black shinobi sandals._

_The other female was Haruno Sakura, teammate of Kiyomi and Sasuke and apprentice to Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage. She had bright pink hair, large green eyes and fair skin. Her attire consisted of a black turtleneck sweater over which she wore a green flak jacket, dark-colored pants and black shinobi sandals. She currently sported black intricate marks on her face that signified her use of the Byakugō no In (Strength of a HundredSeal)._

_Next to Sakura was their sensei, the leader of Team 7, Hatake Kakashi, also known as the Kopī Ninja (Copy Ninja). He was a fit and relatively tall shinobi, with spiky silver hair, dark-colored eyes and with a small vertical scar over his left eye. He was wearing a black mask over the lower-half of his face, a long-sleeved blue short with a green flak jacket, dark blue pants, strapped up sandals and short fingerless gloves with metal plates on the backhand._

_The oldest of the males was Uchiha Madara, the patriarch of the Uchiha Clan and the current jinchūriki of the newly revived and complete Jūbi. He had dark red hair and grey-coloured skin, purple colored eyes with black concentric rings around the dot like pupil and a third red eye black concentric rings with nine black tomoe in the middle of his forehead. His clothing consisted of a full-bodied black garment with black pants, gloves, and boots, over which he wore a flowing white robe with six black magatama markings across his chest and the familiar pattern of a black Rinnegan and nine black magatama in rows of three on his back as well as additional black magatama markings around his sleeve cuffs and the rim of his robe._

_Behind Madara was the last male who was quite odd looking. He had white, spiky hair, his left eye was a Sharingan while his right eye was closed and the right side of his face was heavily scarred. He was clothed in a black long-sleeved top that covered his neck and chin, a pair of black gloves, a pair of dark-colored pants and standard sandals along with white stirrups. Also the whole left side of his body was covered in a black gooey like substance. He was Uchiha Obito, former teammate of Hatake Kakashi and Nohara Rin and was currently possessed by Black Zetsu._

_From an outsider's point of view it looked like the oldest male was arguing with the blonde female about something that appeared to be quite important if the way she was yelling had to be of any indication._

_Their heated argument looked like it was about to escalate, and just when Madara was readying to attack the blonde, something rather unexpected happened._

_From a swirling distortion in the air appeared a person that bore quite a striking resemblance to the Uchiha patriarch._

_This mysterious figure was a light-skinned man with onyx eyes, spiky waist-length black hair with shoulder-length bangs framing the sides of his face, covering most of his right eye and prominent creases under each of his eyes. His outfit consisted of a blue high-collared, long sleeved mantle that split down the lower half, a pair of dark blue pants with white bandages around his shins and dark colored sandals. Over this outfit he wore crimson armor with numerous metal plates, forming protective guards along his chest, waist, shoulders and thighs and on his back he carried an orange-brown gunbai. He was Uchiha Naruto, grandson of Uchiha Madara and the one of the few remaining Uchiha._

_Naruto had his hands folded firmly across his chest and seemed to be looking straight at the Black Zetsu possessed Obito as if waiting for something to happen._

_After a few minutes, the tense and silent atmosphere was broken by the young Uchiha, Sasuke, who had a look of apprehension on his face after noticing the disturbingly similar features the blond stranger shared with Madara._

_"Who are you?" Sasuke asked with a hint of fear in his voice. He was tired from the previous battles, his chakra was dwindling and fatigue was beginning to make its presence known. This sentiment was probably shared by all of his teammates aswell._

_Before the stranger had the chance to give an answer he was interrupted by the old Uchiha who had a look of recognition on his face._

_"Naruto, it's good to see you again" Madara said with a faint smile. "I'm glad you managed to counter the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi" he continued. "But I should have already expected that because, after all, you are my grandson" he finished proudly._

_"WHAT!?" Kiyomi shouted in disbelief._

_Sakura blanched at the revelation. "H-he had a g-grandchild" she stuttered._

_Sasuke looked paler than usual 'It seems that I was right. The resemblance was too uncanny for them to not be related somehow' he thought. 'Now it all depends on what his intentions are since he could very well be here to stop Madara' he rationalized._

_Kakashi was also shaken, though he was hiding it better. 'To think that this man had a grandchild...' He trailed off in his thoughts. He had to come up with a plan in case this new arrival turned out to be hostile to them._

_Sometime during their discussion a plant-like white humanoid made its appearance near Obito's possessed body. He was White Zetsu and his arrival meant that all of the pieces were on the board and the first move was ready to be made by his master._

_Black Zetsu, seeing his counterpart's signal, dashed towards Madara's location. He would begin the final phase of the plan and make his mother and new master proud._

_#######_

_At some point in their discussion, while the others were busy either talking to him or staring at him in disbelief, Naruto noticed White Zetsu emerge from the ground near the older Uchiha's possessed body._

_'So it begins...' he thought grimly. 'I will have to time myself perfectly if I want this to work. Even a second delay could prove to be a disaster when it comes to Kaguya.'_

_He would have to plan his next move carefully because when dealing with someone of her caliber, even a small mistake could prove to be fatal._

_The blond was interrupted from his thoughts by the sudden influx of information the dispelling clones provided after finishing their mission. 'Now that the seal is ready I only need to wait for White Zetsu to show up and then we can begin.'_

_The preparations have been made and all that was needed now was to set the stage in order to begin the final show._

_The blond's attention was suddenly shifted towards the black blur that converged on his grandfather's position. What followed next left everyone except him speechless and shocked beyond belief._

_Madara was looking in mute horror at the hand sticking out of his chest exactly where his heart should have been._

_The members of Team 7 were stunned speechless at this turn of events. They really weren't expecting something like this to happen. Another monologue from the Uchiha about how he had saved the world? Probably. But not for him to get skewered by what was believed to be his 'will'._

_Naruto had a sorrowful look in his eyes while glancing at his grandfather. He steeled himself and kept reminding that this was not the man he admired and respected since he was nothing but a child. 'No, my grandfather died on that day with a smile on his face and without any regrets...' Naruto thought to himself. 'And these eyes... ' he continued, eyes flashing to his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan for a split second. '...are the undeniable proof!' he finished with conviction._

_That man standing before him was not his grandfather. No, he was only a shadow of his former self, brought to the brink of madness by his own grief and deluded with false hope from the traitorous creation of a madwoman._

_When the shock finally wore off, Madara was able to let out a few words in a pained gasp. "Black Zetsu... what is the meaning of this!?" he choked out with his face set in a painful grimace. "I'm the one who created you...! __**You're my will!**__" he continued, shouting the last part._

_Black Zetsu was about to answer but he was interrupted by the blond Uchiha, who ordered him to shut up and not interfere until further notice._

_"Grandfather... " Naruto began in a soft voice, surprising everyone present. "Do you remember what you told me on that day?" he continued, more intensity in his voice. Madara seemed to remember something, judging by the wistful expression on his face._

_By now, Team 7 didn't know what to make of this situation anymore, but nevertheless, they kept listening, hoping to be able to deduce more if provided enough information._

_"You said that humanity and the world are incapable of changing from what they were in the past, that the human nature would not change for the better and that the current 'worthless' reality, was built too much on the idea of winning and losing" Naruto explained._

_He resumed after a short pause. "What you told me had a seed of truth at its origins but you deceived yourself into believing only what you wanted. "It may be within human nature to kill, deceive, steal, lie and hate. But that doesn't mean we cannot be kind and compassionate. There will always exist good people and bad people. Everyone has the power to decide for himself what path he wants to choose. Forcing happiness on people would rob them of the only thing that defines each one of us, free will. Yes, they will be happy in this infinite dream, but it would be a fake happiness, an illusion" he added, taking a deep breath._

_"I'm saying this because I want you to understand that humanity is not beyond saving, only misguided. There will always be wars, death and misery, because humans are led by their greed most of the times. But there will also be people who desire peace above all things" Naruto finished while closing his eyes._

_"I will show you exactly what the truth of this world is. Why I believe that this 'gift of chakra' is nothing but a huge mistake. That it is more harmful than beneficial!" the blond said with determination in his voice._

_He then began to channel chakra to his eyes until they morphed into his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and then looked straight into his grandfather's eyes while uttering a single word._

_**"Tsukuyomi!" (Moon Reader)**_

_#######_

_**[Inside the Tsukuyomi]**_

_This was a very odd place to find yourself into. The sky was blood red with the occasional dark-grey cloud, whereas everything else was a mixture of black and white._

_Somewhere within this vast dimension there could be seen two people sitting on the ground, cross-legged._

_One of them was a young boy, probably in his late teens, while the other was a much older man. Both of them seemed to be related if their awfully similar looks were of any indication._

_"Grandfather, do you now understand why everything had to happen the way it did?" the younger male voiced._

_"I do, Naruto, I finally do" the older one replied. "You couldn't tell me at that time since I was already dead and Obito was too unstable to be trusted" he continued. "You did the right thing and I am proud of you, my grandson. Even when faced with impossible odds, you never wavered and you always acted like a true Uchiha" he finished with a smile. His grandson has really turned into the man he had hoped he would, one worthy of his legacy._

_"Thank you, Madara-ojisan" Naruto voiced grateful at his gradfather's words._

_"Good, now go! Show that Kaguya why the Uchiha should not be messed with! I'm leaving my legacy to you, Uchiha Naruto, heir of the Uchiha clan" Madara said, embracing his grandson in a hug._

_"Hn. You worry too much, grandfather" The blond said with a smirk, returning the hug._

_Madara gave a small chuckle and smirked back at his grandson. "You know, it's scary how similar we are sometimes" he said with amusement._

_"I wouldn't have it any other way" the young Uchiha replied. "Farewell, grandfather" he added with a smile._

_"Farewell, my grandson" Madara said with a smile of his own. "And good luck" he added before the imaginary world started to fade._

_#######_

_**[Back to the real world]**_

_After the powerful genjutsu ended, Naruto glanced in the direction where the members of Team 7 were standing and locked eyes with Sasuke while feeding more chakra to his eyes until they changed into a rippling pattern with purple sclerae and a dot-like pupil._

_**"Genjutsu: Rinnegan!"**__ he muttered, placing the entirety of Team 7 under his most powerful genjutsu. It would ruin everything if one of them decided to interfere now, so it was better if they were left out of this._

_Next, Naruto turned to look at his grandfather, who had a smile on his face even if a hand was sticking out of his chest. 'Its good to see that you are finally free from the darkness that was tormenting you, grandfather' Naruto thought wistfully._

_After mouthing another silent 'thank you' to Madara, the blond signaled to Black Zetsu to resume what it was about to do before ordered to stand by._

_Then he quickly created four sealless Kage Bunshin that spread themselves ten feet in the direction of each cardinal point forming a square pattern with the original in the center._

_**"GWOOOOOAHH!"**_

_Suddenly, an inhuman scream attracted everyone's attention. They all looked to see black vein like marking originating from Black Zetsu's hand spreading all over Madara's body._

_Judging by the amount of chakra that was being absorbed by Madara, something very big was about to happen. He was using the Shinju as a medium to absorb the chakra from every person caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi._

_Visible chakra surged from the ground, causing multiple explosions and raising clouds of dust and debris. The chakra was azure as the sky itself and was concentrating on Madara's position where it was being absorbed into his body._

_Because of the sheer amount of chakra that was being funneled, his body started inflating to inhuman proportions that resembled more an amorphous blob of flesh than anything else._

_It looked like a scene ripped from a horror show, and Naruto had to steel himself after seeing what once was his grandfather turn into that 'thing'._

_While all of this was happening, Black Zetsu was removing itself from Obito's body and preparing to completely merge with the bloated form of Madara as if adding a shape to it._

_Since Obito's body was being kept alive by Black Zetsu fusing with it, now that they got separated, his body finally ceased to function and fell to the ground with a lifeless thud._

_After absorbing enough chakra, the blob like structure started shifting and changing its shape. First it grew two horn like protrusions, then it started gaining a human appearance resembling a female with very delicate facial features and an extremely long, sweeping red hair that touched the ground. She also possessed the Byakugan and a third eye on the center of her forehead with its eyelids part vertically. Her eyebrows were cut very short and she wore a dark shade of lipstick on her lips and a dark shade of nail polish on her long fingernail. She wore a white colored high-collared hime-kimono which was adorned with intricate lines and tomoe running down the center and around the sleeves._

_This person was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the mother of the Rikudō Sennin and the progenitor of chakra._

_Before she could do as much as even twitch she felt a surge of chakra and then her eyes widened in shock. Not even alive for less than a few seconds and she was already imprisoned again._

_#######_

_While the form of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was taking shape from the chakra infused blob of flesh, Naruto decided that this was the most opportune moment to begin the sealing._

_He and the clones surrounding him began going through a chain of hand seals faster than the naked eye could register while moulding their chakra._

_Suddenly, Naruto and his clones stopped from their hand seal weaving and ended with their hands in the reverse-ram seal just in time to witness the complete revival of Kaguya, who was slowly beginning her descent to the ground._

_Not wasting any other second, the young Uchiha flared his potent chakra and bellowed. __**"Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Hachimunetenraionmyōin!" (Uzumaki Sealing Arts: Eight Pillar Heavenly Yin-Yang Seal)**_

_Immediately after, eight silvery-blue transparent chakra pillars emerged from the locations of the previously set scrolls that made up the outer layer of the seal and shot about a couple hundred feet into the air._

_Originating from the blond's position, multiple lines of black kanji slithered towards two of the opposing inner corners of the array, shaping into circles around them._

_Two other bigger lines crawled into opposite directions, passing through the north-eastern and respectively south-western middle corners and heading to the eastern and western outer corners._

_After all the kanji finished spreading, transparent chakra walls, the same color as the pillars, and originating from each one of them started expanding until they converged, encompassing everyone in an impenetrable dome-like barrier._

_If one were to look at this extremely complex sealing array from an angle above the ground, they would have probably noted that its ground portion resembled the Yin-Yang symbol, minus the respective colors that characterized it._

_Naruto was looking pleased at his greatest creation, a masterpiece of the sealing arts, and probably the most complex there will ever be. His Uzumaki heritage had really shown itself in the designing of this particular seal._

_It took him almost an year to create the main array, mainly because it was extremely hard to make the different seals that composed it to fit with eachother, and another several months to come up with the outer shell that would be responsible for disabling any type of space-time manipulation within the barrier._

_#######_

_Naruto took a few steps until he was standing in front of the megalomaniacal goddess. He was not feeling any of the harmful effects since his chakra signature was keyed into the seal's matrix._

_This newest creation of his was truly a frightening thing, the only downside being that it required enormous amounts of chakra to power. Even the current __**Gokage (Five Shadows)**__ would not be able to activate the seal. It would require someone of at least Madara's level to be able to use it._

_"So, Kaguya, judging by the way you are glaring at me right now this wasn't exactly how you thought your revival would go" Naruto said mockingly. He wasn't really taking enjoyment from her plight, but this would hopefully make her realize that humans weren't her toys to be played with and then discarded after not being of any more use._

_The ancestor of all chakra scowled, her delicate features contorting in annoyance at the blond who was openly mocking her. She was angered at the audacity of this man who dared imprison her not long after she was resurrected._

_"What is the meaning of this!?" the former princess snarled, her white eyes glaring holes at the blond's head._

_"Consider it..." he paused, thinking about the proper term "...retribution for all of your acts, whether direct or indirect, against the Uchiha Clan in the past few centuries" he said calmly, not wanting to drag this on for too long._

_Kaguya didn't seem to take this very well, fact indicated by the deepening of her scowl. "All I wanted was peace, to protect the world, my precious nursery, to prevent any further damage from befalling it!" she explained, her anger showing itself more and more in her tone. She was starting to hate this man, even more than Hagoromo and Hamura, her own sons who sealed her centuries ago._

_"Your intention might have been noble but your ways have been anything but!" Naruto responded harshly. "Do you have any idea how many members of my clan died as a result of your twisted ambitions? Do you!?" he continued, not bothering to conceal his anger at this woman's actions. "Thousands, maybe even more! All this death and misery... and for what!? For the machinations of a power obsessed madwoman!?" he practically yelled the last part. He then took a deep, calming breath and started walking towards the downed forms of the members of Team 7._

_It was time to end everything once and for all._

_Kaguya was visibly startled at his sudden outburst and yet, she couldn't understand where she went wrong in her quest for ultimate peace. It was her sons' fault for inheriting her chakra. She just wanted back what was rightfully hers._

_"I was only trying to get back what was once taken from be by my own two sons! Hagoromo and Hamura should have never inherited my chakra. All chakra... belongs to me. You cannot deny me what was mine from the beginning!" she said, the last part almost being yelled. Her eyes were following the blond's retreating form while she was contemplating about what he could possibly do._

_She was immortal after all, and in the small time frame before the blond activated his elaborate trap she managed to sense his chakra. It was incredibly vast and very potent, but he didn't possess any of her sons's chakra, so he shouldn't be able to use that technique to seal her again._

_As if reading her thoughts, after he reached the location where the passed out forms of Kiyomi and Sasuke resided, the young Uchiha voiced. "You are probably wondering how am I going to deal with you since you are immortal, right?"_

_He then crouched and grabbed Kiyomi's right hand and Sasuke's left hand while continuing his explanation. "It is true that I, alone, cannot do anything more than suppressing your chakra and immobilizing you." He paused to look at the two young shinobi whose hands he was holding. "But with the help of those two here, I am sure that I can manage something" he finished with a confident smirk._

_Kaguya seemed to piece together what he said and her eyes widened when she realized what the blond was trying to do. "To think that those two were the reincarnations of Ashura and Indra this whole time... I believe that even without your intervention, those two might have just been able to seal me again with the powers that they received from Hagoromo" she said in resignation. There was really nothing left for her to do now, other than accepting her inevitable fate._

_Immobilized as she was and unable to use even a drop of chakra, there was still a chance for her to escape. The blond wouldn't be able to keep his seal activated indefinitely and eventually he would be forced to free her. But now that Hagoromo's children were revealed, powerless as she was, it wouldn't be possible for her to prevent that man from sealing her._

_#######_

_A brief flash of light accompanied by the warm feeling of chakra flowing through his body told Naruto that the transfer was complete._

_'This chakra is really something else' he thought, marveling at the potency of the Rikudō Sennin's chakra that he absorbed from his sister and her teammate._

_He slowly stood up and walked back to Kaguya who was looking at the bright oval and dark half-moon markings on his palms with a bittersweet expression on her face._

_"You know..." Naruto began when he was standing in front of the woman responsible for everything that happened until now. "I think that I found the perfect way for this to end. I am going to take away all of this chakra that you treasure so much and maybe then, you will come to know some of the despair my clan felt when their hopes and dreams were crushed. Having the same thing happen to yourself should be an eye opening experience, right?" he said darkly._

_The goddess seemed to piece everything together, and then an expression of pure horror was etched into her features. It looked like she finally realized what he was intending to do._

_"N-No..." Kaguya said fearfully. If there was one thing that truly scared her, it was losing her chakra, the power that was rightfully her's. The power that she sought to retrieve and reunite once more into one being, herself. But now... this blond that she hated more than her own two sons, was going to take it all from her. He was going to take away her chakra. And this fact truly terrified her._

_"Oh? Don't you think that it's presumptuous of you to say that after everything you did?" Naruto mocked."Trust me, I am going to take what you cherish most and forever remove it from within your grasp" he said coldly, delighted by the look of absolute horror present on her face._

_The former princess was too shocked at this point to reply. Naruto noticed that and decided that it was enough. She might have deserved it, but at this point anything else that he did would be just pointless torture._

_"It is time to end this. Even if it might be a too lightly punishment for you, an eternity in the Pure World to reflect upon your actions should be sufficient" Naruto said, placing his hands on Kaguya's shoulders. Next, he uttered the words that would forever seal her fate __**"Rikudō: Chibaku Tensei" (Six Paths: Heavenly Body Bursting from the Earth)**_

_This particular technique was created by the Rikudō Sennin and his brother when they first sealed Kaguya. Its purpose was to turn the body of the victim into the core of a much larger and stronger Chibaku Tensei._

_The former princess seemed to be unresponsive, most likely still in shock from having her sole dream completely crushed. Seeing that she wouldn't probably be saying anything anymore, Naruto delivered the next part of her punishment. He moved his hands from her shoulders and placed them on her head, muttering the name of his next technique. __**"Ningendō: Kyūkon no Jutsu" (Human Path: Absorbtion Soul Technique)**_

_A flood of memories swarmed his mind. Memories of war, memories of two sons, memories of happiness and sadness, memories of rage, but also of shame and guilt._

_Vast knowledge on chakra was etched into the deepest parts of his mind. Knowledge about techniques of unparalleled strength was now under his possession._

_However, out of these all, one stood above all else. Regret. 'In the end she regretted choosing her chakra over her own family... but what is done cannot be undone. She chose that fate herself and now she had paid the price for it' Naruto thought bitterly. Acknowledging her mistake wouldn't change the fact that she had caused untold amounts of pain and destruction, leaving only suffering and despair in her wake._

_With a quick tug, Kaguya'a soul was separated from her body and then released into the Pure World, where it would spend its eternal rest._

_Suddenly, the blond's attention was drawn to the soulless body before him that began rising to the sky and was rapidly changing into the Jūbi, a form assumed by Kaguya after incarnating with the Shinju._

_He was forced to retreat a good distance in order to avoid the chunks of earth that were being pulled from the ground and lifted towards the massive form of the Ten-Tails._

_Remembering that the sealing barrier was still active, he quickly formed a half ram hand seal and silently muttered __**"Fūin: Kai!" (Seal: Release)**__. There was a flash of silvery light and shortly after, the intricate seal and barrier dissolved. Not missing a beat, Naruto rushed to the downed forms of the members of Team 7 and transported them to safety with the use of Kamui._

_He was back right in time to witness the nine bijū and still breathing body of his grandfather be expelled from the Ten-Tails' mouth, while it's dried up husk was almost completely covered in layers upon layers of stone._

_Deciding to ignore the bijū for now, he intercepted his grandfather's falling body and gently placed him on the ground while checking his vitals. Sadly, because he was no longer the jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails, he was now slowly dieing._

_#######_

_Madara slowly opened his eyes and noticed the sad visage of his grandson looking at him. He was extremely weakened and knew his time in this world was now limited._

_Gathering his remaining strength, he looked at Naruto and managed to get out a few words in a rasp. "You have done well, my grandson. There is only one more thing that I want to tell you before I'm gone." A cough forced him to interrupt his speech._

_After taking a few calming breaths he continued, albeit a little harder than before, his voice being also more strained. "Wear your name as an Uchiha with pride, always protect what you hold dear, and please, Naruto, do not let yourself be claimed by the same darkness that I fell prey to." He took a deep breath, before he added a few more words, his voice raspy and barely a whisper. "And lastly, do not let my death sadden you too much... this is the path that I had chosen for myself, and I am content with how it ended. My time in this world is finally over, however, yours just begins. So farewell, Naruto... my grandson... my pride... my legacy..."_

_And with that, happy that he managed to impart some last words to his grandson, the Uchiha patriarch closed his eyes and soon after, gave his last breath. That day, Uchiha Madara had died for a second time, without any regrets and with a smile on his face._

_Wiping away a lone tear that managed to snake on his left cheek, Naruto gave one last look to the body of his grandfather and then he swiftly turned around, looking at the giant body of rock that floated a couple hundred of meters from the ground. It had pained him enormously to watch his grandfather give his last breath for a second time, but right now, he had to be strong. His grandfather had chosen this path for himself, and Naruto had to respect his surrogate father's last wishes._

_Biting his right thumb, he then slammed his hand to the ground with a shout of __**"Kuchiyose: Gedō Mazō!" (Summoning: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path)**_

_A multitude of kanji spread from the blond's hand in an intricate pattern and a few seconds later the emaciated husk of the Jūbi burst forth from the ground._

_The blond jumped on the statue's head that had all of its nine eyes closed and looked in the direction where the nine bijū previously landed. He was met with nine equally shocked expressions that immediately morphed into fear after seeing the Gedō Mazō summoned once more._

_Rippling purple eyes shone with power when Naruto clasped his hands forming the Snake seal. __**"Gedō: Kusari" (Outer Path: Chains)**__ he uttered, surging his chakra. Following that, nine sets of chains ending in a dragon's head burst from the statue's opened mouth and shot into the direction of the Tailed Beasts._

_Despite their continuous efforts in avoiding them, the chains latched around their victims' necks, restraining and apparently causing them a great deal of pain._

_At the blond's mental command, the chains started dragging the bijū back to the Gedō Mazō while turning them into a condensed chakra ball, in order to be easier assimilated._

_After gulping down the last of their chakra, the statue closed its mouth while its eyes snapped open, each having a pupil now. Then it gave a piercing roar that could be heard from miles away. The Jūbi had been once again revived, and this time it was in its complete form._

_Naruto was watching impassively from atop the newly revived Ten-Tails' head when he sensed several chakra signatures approaching his position. They were still very far away, but he didn't want any interruptions, so he decided to hurry up and finish before anyone managed to disturb and further delay him._

_With his right hand in the half ram seal, the blond focused on the Jūbi and muttered. __**"Rikudō Jūbi Kyū In" (Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal)**_

_This caused the tailed beast to turn into a huge mass of chakra that started to be absorbed in his body._

_When this whole process finished, it could be seen that Naruto underwent quite the significant change. His skin turned a lighter tone, his blond hair was a little paler and he was clothed in a full-bodied black garment with black pants, gloves and boots, over which he wore a flowing white robe with multiple black magatama markings in several places. Also, all of these clothes seemed to be made of his own chakra._

_But what left him almost in shock were not his physical changes, but his chakra. It was simply on a whole different level from what he expected. Now he understood why his grandfather was acting like that when he arrived on the battlefield for the first time, before he knocked some sense into him. This power was simply intoxicating. If one was not paying enough attention, he could very well lose himself to the feeling of this incredible chakra._

_#######_

_Naruto took a few deep breaths while focusing on his raging maelstrom of a chakra, calming it until it became a still ocean, completely under his control. The chakra boost from becoming the jinchūriki of the Jūbi was immense, and it took almost all of his willpower to not succumb to its destructive power._

_"So, this is the power of the Six Paths... " he quietly said, looking behind him at the severed trunk of the Shinju. After overcoming the beasts' influence, he finally managed to completely tame the devastating chakra that was now flowing through his coils._

_"Well, time to fix that and then wrap everything up... this has been dragged out way too long and it's starting to become tedious" he added with a sigh. He could really use some rest after all of this was through. He may not be physically exhausted, but mentally and emotionally, it had been rather taxing until now, especially seeing his grandfather like that when he arrived and then watch him die for a second time._

_'Hmm... interesting. So, as long as the roots of the Shinju still exist it is possible to regrow the God Tree. How convenient, this really simplifies everything' Naruto pondered. He thought it would be harder to revive the Shinju after Madara absorbed over half of it, but it seems that with Jūbi's chakra, only the roots were needed to regrow it._

_The blond walked to one of the massive roots of the sacred tree and jumped atop of it. With his hands forming the snake seal, he focused on his chakra and started channelling it into the remains of the Shinju, already feeling it respond to his will._

_Since the Jūbi was once part of the Shinju, it was greedily accepting the chakra which was being fed into its roots by the blond jinchūriki while using it to regrow itself._

_The previously severed trunk was now growing as if it tried reaching the very heavens themselves, while numerous, almost endless branches were sprouting in all directions resembling sharp spears, ready to impale any foe who dared oppose this almighty entity._

_The __**Divine Tree**__ was indeed a fitting name for this majestic tree that occupied now a good portion of the battlefield._

_The young Uchiha's eyes opened and his previous concentration was lessened now that he finished the hardest part. He admired the unique sight for a while, before he decided to continue._

_Hands still in the same seal, he called upon the Ten-Tails' chakra while focusing on its yang, life giving aspect and then focused on the resurrected form of the Shinju._

_**"Shin: Jukai Kōtan" (God: Nativity of a World of Trees)**__ he said evenly, looking in the distance at the enormous roots of the tree that started writhing and convulsing under his powers._

_The people who hadn't been already ensnared were quickly wrapped in vines and turned into cocoons hanging from the tree's thick roots._

_Usually they would be kept like this, sustained by the tree's life force, until they became White Zetsu, but in this case, Naruto had other plans regarding those that were trapped._

_"Now, to end this" he voiced, finality prevalent in his tone._

_His hands went into the ram seal while his focus shifted from the holy tree to all the people caught in its roots. He was concentrating on the chakra present in each of those bound to the Shinju and considering their numbers, it required every last bit of his concentration._

_Soon, a blue aura started to surround every cocoon and was traveling through the Shinju's roots, leading towards the trunk where it converged in an area near its base._

_The process of absorbing the chakra from every being had begun and in order to keep them alive, Naruto would use the endless life force of the sacred tree to infuse everyone after their chakra was completely drained._

_This would prevent the death that came with complete chakra exhaustion by giving each individual a small portion of the tree's life force that would act as a substitute for their lost chakra._

_Also any children born would now lack a chakra circulatory system and would be just normal humans, just like the ones before Princess Kaguya ate the forbidden fruit had been._

_This course of action would ensure a more peaceful approach between humans, now that their main weapon was removed and would also lead to a deeper focus on technology and research._

_#######_

_When the last drop of chakra was finished being absorbed into the tree, its bark started to part along the area at the base, where the all of the previous chakra had been funneled to, revealing something akin to a fruit that was slightly glowing._

_Naruto, who was watching the recent happenings with interest, extended his hands and grabbed the mysterious fruit, plucking it from the tree._

_"The __**Chakra Fruit (Chakura no Mi)**__... the object that sparked everything... would also end everything now... how ironic" he said with a chuckle. It was actually pretty hilarious if you thought about how history played until now._

_In the past, people were at constant war with eachother. This led to Kaguya eating the forbidden chakra fruit and gaining godlike powers, thus ending the war by herself. Then she had two sons who also inherited her chakra._

_One of her sons, Hagoromo, created the ninshū and spread it among the people, granting them the gift of chakra. However, those teachings were turned into weapons and people began using them to kill eachother, starting an inescapable chain of hatred._

_This chain would be later broken by Uchiha Naruto who united again all chakra into one being and reformed the chakra fruit._

_"Well... I guess this is goodbye. I cannot stay here any longer without disturbing the fragile balance I managed to create and I certainly cannot leave this fruit here to ignite another similar chain of events..."_

_After saying these words, Naruto formed a half ram seal and with a quickly muttered "Kai" he released everyone from the Infinite Tsukuyomi, as well as from the Shinju's hold._

_When everyone was freed, the giant tree began to break down into motes of chakra, forming a silvery mist that was slowly being absorbed into the blond, who was looking at the fruit in his hands._

_Then he ate the chakra fruit while thinking about what would the future hold for him now that the shinobi world wasn't in need of him anymore. He should probably leave this place and get some well deserved rest. Maybe a little peace and quiet to go with it too._

_Unfortunately, the last part would not be exactly how he imagined, but at least it would provide a change of pace from the usually exhausting shinobi life._

_#######_

_Warmth. It was the only thing he could feel. A feeling of warmth, so intense that it almost reached his very soul, was spreading through his entire being. He felt rejuvenated, revitalized, and any fatigue that had been accumulated until this point simply vanished as if it never existed._

_However, that did not last long, for a few moments after that intense feeling of warmth washed over his being, something rather strange started happening. He couldn't properly describe it, but he could very well feel the effects. The extremely powerful chakra that he had gained upon eating the Chakra Fruit somehow started reacting to the God Tree itself and with the Ten-Tails that he had previously absorbed._

_Moments later, wisps of pure silvery chakra began wafting off his body, slowly encircling it while ascending toward the heavens in a glowing maelstrom of energy._

_Naruto could feel the extremely potent chakra of the forbidden fruit mingling with the monstrous chakra of the Ten-Tails and with the powerful life force of the Divine Tree._

_After a while, he could feel these overwhelming energies starting to settle and reach a balance, before they suddenly latched onto his very soul, binding it to his body._

_Following that, more and more silvery motes of flickering chakra began rising off his form, prompting the raging twister of pure chakra to drastically grow in intensity, until everything inside of it was obscured from view._

_The young man could feel his body starting to react to this overwhelming chakra that was now coursing through his being. It was a really strange experience for him, as if his very being was ascending to something else. It felt otherworldly empowering, almost pleasurably intoxicating, a feeling so sublime that it completely seized his senses. The only word coming to his mind that was close enough to describing everything that he had just experienced was divine._

_His new power could be felt from miles away, washing over the entire battlefield and beyond, blanketing everything within its radiant warmth. It was on a whole new level compared to anything witnessed until now. It was simply otherworldly._

_When this feeling seemed to finally settle, the tornado of dense chakra surrounding Naruto also began to slowly disperse, revealing a completely different sight than before. What had once been bright yellow hair, was now silvery-white in color that was perfectly complemented by a much paler skin complexion and the onyx colored curved horns that now jutted from his scalp. The young man's outfit went through a few changes aswell. The flowing white robe he had over the full-bodied black garment was now decorated with additional magatama around the wrists and on the hemline that were the same inky black color as the previous ones. Also, despite the previous vortex of chakra having dissipated, there still were silvery wisps of chakra constantly wafting off his form, but this time those were only rising off his flowing robe, which further added to his ethereal and otherworldly appearance._

_Naruto inhaled deeply and slowly began to open his eyes while exhaling, revealing mesmerizing pale colored eyes that glowed with unbridled power._

_He was momentarily startled by the presence of a third eye located on his forehead, but after a few moments, he deduced that it must be one of the changes brought by his recent ascension._

_'The Rinne-Sharingan... it seems that I had awakened the original dōjutsu...' Naruto thought, continuing to analyze his new dōjutsu and being pleasantly surprised by his findings._

_'As expected... the ocular powers of the Sharingan and Rinnegan have combined into the first dōjutsu, the Rinne-Sharingan.' A smile slowly found its way on his lips. 'How convenient...'_

_Not wishing to waste any chakra, he completely cut the chakra flow to the third eye on his forehead, which had a ripple-like pattern with red sclerae and nine black tomoe, prompting it to close its eyelids vertically, leaving only a very faint line that could be easily overlooked or simply mistaken for a birthmark or a scar._

_Moments later, when he tried checking for any other changes that might have occurred to him, Naruto came to a startling realization which left him stunned for a few moments._

_"It seems that I have become one with the Shinju and the Ten-Tails..." he muttered to himself after he recovered from his previous shock._

_This was something that he hadn't been expecting. He never thought that those energies would react so strongly to eachother and change him to such an extent. But now he at least understood what that strange feeling he had experienced earlier was. The union between the Ten-Tails, the Shinju and the Chakra Fruit seemed to have turned him into something entirely different. He was no longer a human. His soul was no longer trapped in a mortal shell. No. He had been liberated from his mortal coil. He had ascended to divinity. He had become a god._

_'This chakra... I can't even find words to describe it...' These were his first thoughts after he had got a better feel of his new power. 'Such density and potency... it's simply mind-boggling...'_

_He tried delving deeper into his power, trying to gauge it, but his efforts ended up being fruitless. There didn't seem to be an end to this overwhelmingly vast chakra. It was simply boundless. 'Is this what it means to be a god? To have absolute power at your disposal, with your imagination being the only limit?'_

_When he was finally done with his musings, Naruto tried to move and search for his long time friend and loyal servant, Zetsu, only to have the ground instantly crack and shatter when he lowered his foot in an attempt to take a step forward. The look of incredulity on his face would have been amusing if not for the simple fact that he had just created a small crater by accidentally stepping a little too hard on the ground._

_'Oh, you've got to be kidding me...' Naruto didn't seem to be exactly thrilled by this most recent development. 'So now all eight of the chakra gates are permanently open...'_

_Naruto took a few moments to thoroughly analyze his chakra pathway system, more specifically the eight gates that usually acted as limiters. This led to him noticing the fact that he had been unconsciously flooding chakra through the first gate, the __**Gate of Opening**__, which seemed to explain the previous incident. He immediately powered it down and took another step, now pleased that he was once again able to freely move without having to worry for his surroundings._

_'So now I can control the increase in power from opening the gates by simply choosing how much chakra I want to run through them...' the silver haired god pondered. 'That's by far a much more superior method compared to the uncontrollable power boost that those used to offer.'_

_This was a very welcome change to the many flaws that had been limiting a normal shinobi. It seemed that Naruto's initial worries had been unfounded, and that in reality, it was actually very easy to control his physical strength with the improved limiter gates. For a moment he wondered what would happen if he powered up all eight gates to their maximum potential. 'Probably not something good... like shattering the entire planet...' He decided to hold off his curiosity for now, despite how cool blowing up a planet might have sounded. He would probably end up testing this theory anyway, however, he would do it some other time and definitely not on a populated world._

_#######_

_"Zetsu" was all Naruto needed to say for his loyal companion and friend to appear, emerging from the ground in front of him, with his ever present grin plastered on his face._

_"You called, Naruto-sama?" was the plant-like man's cheerful reply. He had watched the entire unfolding of the last events from the moment he got to a safe position, after he had finished his part in this war. He was still awed by the new chakra his master now possessed. He wasn't able to catch more than a glimpse of it before he was overwhelmed by its potency and density. It was fortunate that his master had found a way to contain and suppress his overwhelming chakra, because otherwise it might have posed a threat to anything and anyone within his immediate vicinity._

_"Yes, I did. I wanted to give you a few 'upgrades' that should improve your overall capabilities by quite a lot" the silver haired god explained._

_"Huh?" was Zetsu's intelligent reply._

_Naruto simply placed his left hand on the plant-like man's torso and focused. He channelled chakra into his palm which began giving off a silvery glow, and let it flow into his long time friend's body._

_Zetsu could tell that something was happening when he felt foreign chakra enter his system, which was immediately followed by an intense warmth that spread from his navel to the rest of his body._

_"This chakra feels like nothing else I've encountered so far. It's radiating warmth" he remarked, astonished by the new chakra that was coursing through his body._

_A few moments later, the chakra flow was cut off, and after he checked his handiwork once more, Naruto voiced, sounding pleased. "It is done, Zetsu."_

_"So, what did you do?" the plant-like man asked excitedly. He couldn't wait to test these new improvements that he had just received._

_Naruto smirked and began listing everything that he did. "Well... I increased your sensing capabilities. I increased your chakra reserves aswell as its potency. I made your more durable and gave you the ability to record information and then merge with individuals to share it or simply control them like Black Zetsu could do. Also, I have greatly improved your __**Mokuton (Wood Release)**__ kekkei genkai."_

_By the time Naruto finished speaking, Zetsu's grin was almost splitting his face in half. He looked like Christmas had come earlier and he couldn't wait to open his presents. "That's awesome, Naruto-sama. Now to test these new upgrades!" he said with unrestrained glee._

_#######_

_Some time later, after Zetsu finished experimenting with his new upgrades, the two of them spent a couple minutes in silence before Naruto decided to speak._

_"Say, Zetsu, now that everything is finally settled, how does the idea of visiting and exploring other dimensions sound to you?"_

_Zetsu was thinking about what his master proposed when his eyes suddenly widened in realization and a gleeful smile stretched his features. "Does this mean that we are finally going on a vacation?"_

_The silver haired young man was looking in slight amusement at his friend's overexcited behavior. "I suppose you can also view this as a vacation, since we will be visiting other worlds."_

_By now, Zetsu's grin was already on the disturbing side of the spectrum. "This is going to be awesome! I've never tasted people from another dimension... I wonder if this classifies as exotic food... " he said, mumbling to himself at the end._

_Naruto twitched an eyebrow at this. "We are not going to a different dimension so that you can eat new people. We are doing this to see how are other worlds compared to ours. Seeing how other civilizations evolved should prove to be a very interesting experience."_

_"But that's boring! I thought that we were going to have fun and relax..." the plant-like man protested._

_"We are going to relax, but your definition of fun could cause some problems in an unknown world, so we will have to be cautious until we learn more about it. Besides, I'm sure there will be enough occasions for you to sample the 'local cuisine', so just be patient."_

_Zetsu looked thoughtful for a moment then his features settled into a grin once again. "When you explain it like that, your reasoning makes a lot more sense."_

_Naruto gave a tired sigh and decided to not press the matter further, since it would most likely end with a headache for him, and he could really do without one right now._

_"Anyway, how are we going to travel to another dimension?" Zetsu asked since he didn't know of any technique that could do something like that._

_Well, there were some techniques that could achieve space-time transportation, like Kamui or Kuchiyose no Jutsu, but those only permitted travel to a pocket dimension or summoning from a special dimension._

_"Oh, about that... well, the awakening of the Rinne-Sharingan granted me access to a bunch of interesting techniques called __**kekkei mōra (bloodline encompassing)**__. Two of them you have probably already seen, the __**Infinite Tsukuyomi**__ and __**God: Nativity of a World of Trees**__. Another two are called __**Amenominaka**__ and __**Yomotsu Hirasaka**__, and both of them are space-time techniques. Using the first one I am able to transport myself and anyone within a certain range around me to a different dimension. There are a total of six dimensions that I can access and one of them is the core dimension to which the others are linked to. The other technique allows me to form rifts within the fabric of space, through which I can instantaneously transport myself to a different location" Naruto explained without going into too much detail. Knowing only the basics was enough to understand the idea behind what he was attempting to do._

_"But isn't it a little dangerous to use two techniques you have just acquired without at least testing them before?" questioned Zetsu. He was all for using unknown techniques to see their effects, but when it came to unknown space-time techniques even he was somewhat reluctant._

_"Don't worry about that Zetsu, with the knowledge acquired from Kaguya on each of these techniques and with my complete control over chakra, it shouldn't be a problem to use them." Naruto assured._

_"Okay then. Let's get going! I can't wait to tas—I mean visit this new world!" Zetsu exclaimed excitedly, trying to cover his minor slip up._

_Naruto facepalmed at his friend's one track mind when it came to his eating habits. "I can't argue with you on this one. I am also quite excited at the prospect of visiting a completely different world."_

_Following that, the silver haired god channeled chakra to the third eye located on his forehead, causing it to open and reveal the eerie looking dōjutsu that was glowing with power._

_He then focused on the aspects that defined the technique known as Yomotsu Hirasaka and caused a rift in the fabric of space to open a few meters in front of him._

_Not wasting a second, he increased the chakra flow to his Rinne-Sharingan and concentrated on creating a link between the previously created tear and a random dimension using Amenominaka as a medium._

_There was a surge of chakra after which the portal seemed to have finally stabilized. It looked like a literal 'crack in the air', as if the space itself parted to reveal the abyss between dimensions._

_The duo looked at the rift in space that seemed to suck the very light itself, then they looked at eachother, gave a shrug, and started to walk towards the inky-black portal._

_When they reached the tear in space, they looked once more at eachother while smirking and then they both passed through it, thinking about what they would find on the other side._

_#######_

_**[Unknown Island — Pacific]**_

_On a deserted looking island there could be seen two unconscious individuals, one resembling some sort of mixture between a plant and a human, while the other was a young man with long, spiky silvery-white hair._

_Eventually, they managed to wake up from their blissful unconsciousness only to find themselves looking around in confusion._

_A few seconds had passed before the silver haired young man regained some of his composure and spoke. "What the hell is this place!?" In hindsight, he should have seen something like this coming. One does not simply tear a hole into the space-time continuum and expect everything to go smoothly._

_The reply that came from his companion was a series of chuckles._

_(flashback end)_

_**Chapter End**_

**Name**: Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Hachimunetenraionmyōin!" (Uzumaki Sealing Arts: Eight Pillar Heavenly Yin-Yang Seal)

**Rank**: N/A

**Classification**: Ninjutsu, Barrier Ninjutsu, Fūinjutsu, Kinjutsu

**Class**: Defensive, Offensive, Supplementary

**Range**: Long-range

**Requirements**: 24 previously set scrolls containing the seal matrix parts, extremely high chakra capacity, very good chakra control

**Description**: By creating the seal using 24 separate scrolls, the user is then able to activate the entire fūinjutsu contruct from a long range. However, the activation is very chakra taxing, thus labeling this technique as a Kinjutsu that should be used only in the direst of the situations.

**Edit—22.01.2015: Fixed several punctuation and grammar errors that I previously missed and tweaked a few other things that were creating minor discrepancies within the chapter.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary.**

**Since yesterday was Christmas and I also had the first two chapters already written, consider this my present to you, my dear readers. The only thing I regret is that I wasn't able to finish polishing these two chapters faster and post the story yesterday.**

**Now, on with the story!**

#######

**Chapter 1: First Contact**

**[Unknown Island — Pacific]**

"And that's how we ended up in this place" Zetsu said in his usual cheery tone.

Naruto sighed again. Come to think of it, he has been doing that a lot lately. But who could blame him? Growing up and living with someone like Zetsu tends to do that to people. In situations like this, you either learn to adapt to the craziness or risk becoming crazy yourself.

"Now that you are done, I believe it is time to leave this place" the silver haired young man informed, creating a rift in the space before himself.

Zetsu was looking skeptically at the newly created tear in the fabric of space.

"You do remember what happened last time, right?"

Naruto rolled his eyes at his friend's reluctant tone. "This time I'm only using Yomotsu Hirasaka to travel to the same dimension through one of these rifts."

He pointed a finger at the portal and continued.

"This technique can be used to travel to any place in your field of vision or that you have already been to, but it can also be used without a specific destination, like I did now. We should be able to leave this place by doing so and reach the mainland where we are bound to find something about this world."

The only thing Naruto's explanation did was to increase even further Zetsu's skepticism.

"Saying it like that only makes me doubt your method of transportation even more."

Naruto twitched an eyebrow at this. "Have some faith, will you? It should be fine now that we are traveling within the same dimension."

"Oh, but I do have faith in you, Naruto-sama. It's just that I don't particularly trust your recently discovered ways of transportation" Zetsu said wryly.

Naruto sighed in exasperation. No more than a few minutes into this so called 'vacation' and Zetsu was already driving him insane.

"Just enter that damned portal..."

#######

**[Cathedral of Causality — Deus' Realm]**

In the middle of a large domed building colored with a purple tint there could be seen a large floating construct that resembled a throne of sorts.

Sitting upon said throne was a towering figure, reaching up to tens of feet in height. This figure was barely humanoid in appearance and appeared as a huge creature made of machinery.

He possessed a large, skull-like head, sporting spiked purple hair and a crown and was clothed in a large dark cloak with ornaments attached to it.

A few feet away from this imposing figure, there could be seen another peculiar individual who was reading what appeared to be a shoujo manga.

Said individual was actually a dark skinned, purple eyed little girl with her white hair styled in two ponytails, each of them held by an ornament. Her attire consisted of a pink vest, white leggings and purple shoes.

She also possessed a black tail with a pointed tip and a small golden trumpet strapped to her left side.

Suddenly, the extremely large individual who was situated on the throne shifted his attention to a floating screen located on his left that had just emitted a static noise.

"Hmmm" he sounded intrigued, his grave voice reverberating through the enclosed room.

The childlike girl paused from reading and sent him a questioning look. "What happened, Deus?"

The now identified as Deus looked at his servant and explained. "Just now there was a disruption in the space-time continuum on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Murmur."

"Did you find out what caused this?" Murmur asked offhandedly, resuming her reading.

Deus slightly narrowed his eyes in concentration and after a couple minutes he replied, sounding even more intrigued by his findings. "How interesting! I was not able to identify the cause of this phenomenon. It is an unknown, something not bound by this world's laws of causality."

It looked like the last statement managed to fully draw Murmur's attention. "An unknown you say? It's the first time something like this happened and from the data you managed to gather, it looks like this entity literally tore a hole in this dimension's boundaries" she supplied, looking at Deus, who appeared to be deep in thought.

After a while, Deus began checking multiple screens, his long, bony fingers typing on a weird device that resembled a keyboard of some kind. "Exactly as I thought…" he muttered to himself.

His childlike servant was looking at him in mild confusion. "Eh? What did you find?" she asked curiously.

Deus glanced at Murmur and spoke. "More likely what I did not find. It doesn't matter what method I am using, it is completely impossible to track this unknown. We will not be able to reach a conclusion until we actually come into contact with whoever or whatever caused this..."

#######

**[Sakurami City]**

A visible tear in the air could be seen on the top of one of the many tall buildings that were part of Sakurami City. This rip in the very fabric of space itself looked akin to an ominous portal, with its interior being composed of an inky black darkness that seemed to suck in even the light.

Suddenly, exiting this eerie gateway, two figures could be seen. One was a young man with silver hair and matching eyes, clothed in a priestly garb of sorts, while the other didn't look exactly human at all. The other person appeared to have something similar to a Venus flytrap extending from his sides and encasing his head in a sort of protective shell. Through the opening of that shell, a mop of green hair and a pair of yellow eyes could be seen. Also his features seemed to be set into a perpetual amused grin and his clothing consisted of a black, high-collared cloak with red interior and red cloud motives decorating it.

After a quick inspection of his surroundings, the plant like creature was the first one to speak, addressing his companion in a cheery tone. "Finally a place that isn't a volcano, or a glacier, or a jungle, or an underground cavern."

The young man turned to look at his companion and replied flatly. "I thought I have already told you that in our current situation I could not do anything regarding the destination."

"If you say so..." the green haired individual voiced. Then he looked once more around him and exclaimed in awe. "Wow! This place looks like Amegakure, but with a lot more tall and complicated buildings."

Naruto, who didn't appear to notice the busy streets of the city below him yet, glanced at his hyperactive companion and spoke. "Zetsu, what is it that you are making such a fuss about?"

Instead of answering, the one introduced now as Zetsu simply pointed a finger towards the sight that could be seen below the tall building they were standing on.

Naruto's gaze shifted towards the direction where Zetsu was pointing at, and he had to admit that it was indeed an awe inspiring sight. _'I have seen Amegakure, but this is like a version of it from a few decades into the future. Fascinating...'_

After a while, when they seemed to be done admiring the scenery, Naruto decided to voice his plan. While Zetsu was busy gawking at the sight of the modern city, he thought about how to approach this unknown civilization. In the end, he decided to go with a stay under the radar policy while learning more about this world. The thought of attracting unneeded attention upon himself wasn't very appealing, since in the end, he also wanted to rest and relax for now. This information gathering and learning was more of a side project of his in order to keep himself from getting too bored.

He spiked his chakra a little, getting Zetsu's complete attention and spoke. "I have decided upon the course of action that we shall adopt for now. I shall be trying to integrate within this world's society and learn more about its origins and customs, while you are free to do anything as long as it isn't too stupid or reveals your identity to the populace. However, our top priority is to secure a base of operations within this city, from where we can coordinate our future actions. Oh, and before I forget, I recommend concealing your appendages, since they are bound to attract unwanted attention."

Zetsu listened carefully to every detail which he quickly committed into his memory. When Naruto finished speaking, he bowed respectfully and replied. "Understood, Naruto-sama, but you should do the same with your own."

Naruto looked in slight confusion at his half-plant friend, wondering what he had meant by that.

Several moments later, when Zetsu saw that his master was not getting the hint, he raised his arms and motioned toward his own head.

When Naruto saw that, he also began to palpate his own scalp, his eyes widening in slight surprise at what he discovered. _'Really... now I've got horns?'_ He focused on his newly acquired appendages for a moment, before they started receding back into his scalp, completely disappearing from view. "Alright, now let's go."

Shortly after, both individuals vanished from the rooftop of the tall building that they were previously standing on, as if they had never been there to begin with.

#######

**[Uchiha Residence]**

The sun was barely rising above the horizon when Naruto's eyes suddenly opened. He looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand that was indicating 6:00 and got off the bed, beginning his morning routine. He quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face, before returning to the bedroom to grab his cellphone, one of the interesting and useful devices that managed to catch his attention as soon as he learned about them.

With a mental command, a white track suit materialized on his form, along with a pair of matching sneakers. He then left his house and started his morning running session, all the while thinking about the events that occurred during the past week.

When he first arrived in this world, he focused on gathering as much information as possible. He found out that he ended up in a city named Sakurami that was located in a country called Japan. Fortunately, the language spoken in this country seemed to be identical to the one in his home world. Also, this world, at first, appeared to be quite similar to his own, minus the technological gap, but in reality, it was very different from the Elemental Nations.

The most obvious difference, one he noticed as soon as he arrived here, was the lack of chakra, since there had never existed a Shinju to begin with. The poeple of this world still possessed the two components that made up chakra upon being moulded together—the physical energy collected from each and every one of the body's cells, and the spiritual energy derived from the mind's consciousness, but without a chakra pathway system and a jolt of chakra from another person to kick start it, they were unable to access this energy.

The lack of chakra had also led to a very different development of the society which he had to become familiar with, in order to properly integrate without arising unwanted suspicion. He had to use his newly acquired power to subtly influence a few people in order to obtain the required ID and other papers, but once he had them, he was officially a resident of Sakurami City, albeit one with a kind of weird background, but a believable one nonetheless.

Naruto managed to purchase a decent sized, western styled house with the money he made after visiting several casinos. He concluded that it was the fastest and least suspicious way to gather sufficient money for now, so with a little help from his mind influencing powers, he managed to set up his base of operations.

However, he soon realized that this society had a very different system from what he was used to in the Elemental Nations. Here, one was not considered as of legal age until the age of twenty, as opposed to his world, where once you graduated the ninja academy and became a genin, you were considered an adult from all points of view. Also, another interesting aspect of this world was its educational system, which seemed to be the foundation of everything in society. In this world, knowledge equaled power in its usefulness, and when coupled, these two gave an individual a cutting edge in almost everything.

As of a couple days ago, Naruto, unfortunately, came to a terrifying conclusion. It was boring! For him, a shinobi used to a very active life, sitting in his house all day didn't bring him much excitement. Even if he continued training—mostly out of habit, he was usually done by afternion, which left him with several hours of doing nothing except chatting with Zetsu, who after only one hour made you want to repeatedly bang your head on a hard surface.

In the end, he decided to try this 'education' thing that everyone seemed to be praising, maybe there he would meet some interesting people close to his age while also learning more about the world.

Unfortunately, when he finally went to enroll at a school, he found out that it wasn't quite that simple. Having no public educational background—his self made background suggested that he was home tutored by his grandfather until he ultimately died and he had to seek public education— he was put to take a few tests that would determine what level he was currently at.

Imagine Naruto's surprise when he found out what exactly education entailed in this world. Apparently, by this society standards, his education was at the level of a twelve year old, with only basic knowledge in domains such as mathematics, social studies and science—exception being his quite vast knowledge of the human body anatomy and several other things that he had to thoroughly study in order to be able to properly utilize medical ninjutsu.

Fortunately, thanks to his grandfather's insistence, he had a decent knowledge in psychology and art, which somehow compensated his lack of knowledge in the other domains.

So, because in this world it didn't matter that Naruto knew dozens of different ways to efficiently kill a grown up man, he was placed in the first grade of middle school.

_'Which brings me today, the first day of school, which is apparently going to start in less than two hours. Better return home to finish my exercises or I'm going to be late'_ he thought to himself while checking his cellphone that indicated 6:45. Moments later, he began jogging towards his house.

#######

After Naruto finished his morning running session, he proceeded to go through a taijutsu sparring session with a few Moku Bunshins (Wood Clones), before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

While on his way to the kitchen, he spotted Zetsu in the living room, watching television with a gleeful expression on his face. He continued his way to the kitchen, where he had a healthy, high-protein breakfast, with enough calories to last him until lunch. Even though he didn't require sustenance in the form of food anymore because of his chakra that seemed to be the only fuel needed to keep his body running, he still continued eating normally. He just couldn't give up on eating something that tasted so good, especially in this world that possessed such a varying cuisine.

When he checked the time again, it showed 7:45, so he decided to depart for school. He grabbed his schoolbag and left the house after shouting a quick 'Goodbye' to Zetsu, who cheerfully replied with his own.

#######

**[Sakurami Middle School]**

It took Naruto about thirty minutes to reach his school while he walked at a relatively leisure pace. He reserved a couple minutes to inspect the building, before he entered and headed to his classroom, 1-B, waiting for the home room to start.

Slowly, students started to arrive, prompting Naruto to realize a shocking fact. 'They put me in a classroom full of children barely in their early teens...'

He absentmindedly noted that most of the students entering the classroom were giving him somewhat odd looks. _'Probably because I am what? Almost five years older than most of them? Or maybe it's my appearance?'_

Naruto, indeed, looked quite distinctive with his pale colored skin, matching eyes and long, spiky silvery hair. His clothing consisted of a white dress shirt, a black jacket, black jeans and a pair of black sneakers. This outfit, coupled with his looks made him stand out quite a little among the other occupants of the classroom.

He was pulled out of his musing when the homeroom teacher entered the room. After a short introduction, the teacher began asking for each student to introduce himself or herself.

When it was his turn to introduce himself, he went to the blackboard, wrote his name on it and thought about how to make his formal introduction to the class.

He was very tempted to say something along the lines of _'Hello, my name is Uchiha Naruto and I am an elite shinobi capable of killing you in a dozen of different ways just from this position'_, but he quickly dismissed it, opting for something that didn't sound like a death threat.

Naruto turned to the class and made his introduction. "Hello, nice to meet you all. My name is Uchiha Naruto, and I hope we can get along. Oh, and if you were wondering about my hair and eye color, they are all natural" the silver haired young man said evenly.

His fellow students looked like they still had a few questions about him, but decided to wait until the break.

The homeroom teacher then let him know that he could return to his seat and then continued with the introductions, another student making his way to the blackboard.

#######

Eventually, the break arrived and Naruto was practically swarmed by most of his fellow classmates, who wanted to find out who was this quite unusual classmate of theirs.

"Aren't you too old to be in this grade? You look more like a highschool student, you know?" a random student asked. This curiosity was most likely shared by all of his classmates.

Naruto, decided to tell them the same story he used for his enrollment background. "I know that I am quite old to be in this particular grade. However, it wasn't of my own choice. You see, I grew up as an orphan, raised by my grandfather, who very much lived in isolation from the rest of the world. I spent my whole life at his house in the mountains with almost no contact with civilization. Life with my grandfather was quite harsh, since he was very strict and didn't tolerate any sort of failure, but I am grateful for his teachings and I hold a great deal of respect for him. After he passed away, I decided to move back into the city and try going to a normal school. Unfortunately, my knowledge in several domains was quite lacking or nonexistent, so I had to be placed in this grade."

By now, his classmates seemed to understand his reason for being in this specific class and decided to not bother him anymore, since their curiosity was quenched.

However, what Naruto failed to notice, was the inquisitive gaze of a cotton candy haired young girl with eyes of matching color. Judging by the look on her face, one could assume that when she heard his explanation, it reminded her of something related to her own childhood.

#######

Later that day, Naruto was pretty close to reconsidering his choice of attending school. Why? The answer resided in the piece of paper that was currently on his desk, lying there as if mocking him. At the top of this seemingly innocuous piece of paper, the source of his recent annoyance could be found written in capitals. It read 'GEOGRAPHY' and it was the most recent bane of his existence.

_'Seriously, why do I have to know the name of every damn river or mountain in this country. It's not like knowing all of that actually helps me in any way'_ Naruto mentally complained. He sent the offending paper another hate filled glare and then he sprawled himself on the desk, his head turned towards the window while his eyes were roaming over the cloud littered sky.

_'I swear that if I see another question about the heights of every blasted mountain range in Japan, I am going to start doing some geography myself...'_

Any further promises of landscape reshaping were interrupted by the familiar buzzing sound of the class dismissal bell. It seemed that the Japanese Alps would continue existing for the time being.

#######

Seated at her desk in the top right side of the classroom was the slender frame of a young girl, who despite being only in her early teens, had a figure that was already quite developed, hinting towards the beautiful young woman she would become after a few more years.

She had light pink colored eyes and matching long hair styled in pigtails, two hanging as frontal locks and featuring a pair of red bows, while the back pigtails were left bare.

Her attire consisted of a blue shirt with a red ribbon on her chest accompanied by a blue skirt with white high socks.

The rest of her classmates were busy finishing the sudden geography test. The teacher told them that its purpose was to measure the level of their knowledge acquired during elementary school, but she had already finished it ten minutes earlier. Now all she could do was wait.

As she sat there, her gaze wandered around the room, taking in the details of her surroundings. A girl next to her was going over her paper, most likely rechecking her answers, a boy behind said girl was drawing something on the desk and another student looked like he had trouble staying awake.

Eventually, her eyes settled on a young man sitting near the window, who was glaring murderously at the piece of paper that signified their test as if it was his most hated enemy. He was the one whose story reminded her about her own childhood. What was his name? Uchiha? It wasn't a name she heard before, but it had a certain ring to it that seemed to denote power and respect when heard.

He was quite handsome and his pale long hair and eyes further added to his overall ethereal and mysterious look. She would have liked to talk to him and get to know him better, if she was allowed, that was.

_'No, I don't have time for such things' _the girl reminded herself._ 'Mama would kill me.'_

Every rule that defined her life, from the papers that reflected her grades to the meticulously created schedules that represented the time she was allowed to spend outside, or the amount of food she was allowed to eat, were slowly driving her to the brink of her sanity.

Whenever she thought about all of this, it felt as if she was suffocating. The pressure was simply unbearable. Her parents had such high expectations of her, but they were unforgiving when she failed to meet them.

_'No! Don't think about it... don't think about it... don't think about it...'_ she chanted inwardly like a mantra, trying to calm herself down and distract her mind from that particular train of thought. She feared that if she spent too much time thinking about it, the last few threads that were holding together her sanity might snap.

#######

The rest of the day passed relatively fast for Naruto, who didn't have much trouble understanding the remaining lessons. He was really glad that their class had geography only once a week, otherwise this world might end up being subjected to several small changes of scenery.

After packing his notebook and pen back into his schoolbag, he checked his cellphone, noting that it was indicating 15:30. With the school having ended for today, Naruto took his bag and proceeded to walk back home, hoping that Zetsu didn't do anything stupid in his absence.

#######

**[Uchiha Residence]**

When Naruto arrived at his house, it was already afternoon. With a mental command, he changed his previous attire into something more comfortable, at least for himself.

Now wearing a blue long sleeved shirt and white pants, Naruto went straight to the living room to check on Zetsu. He found him in the same position as when he left, glued to the television, watching some kind of show about nature and plant life.

"Zetsu, I'm back" Naruto announced his arrival. Though Zetsu was a highly skilled sensor, immersed in that show as he was right now, Naruto doubted that he sensed his presence.

Therefore, another way of making his presence known was required, which in this case was verbally.

Upon hearing his master's voice, Zetsu was brought out of his television induced trance and turned around. "Welcome back, Naruto-sama!" he replied in his normally cheery tone. Shortly after, his attention was again shifted in the television's favor.

Naruto was actually relieved that something managed to captivate Zetsu so much that it would occupy most of his time. It was good to know that he could now leave the plant like man alone for more than ten minutes without worrying about the neighbors' safety.

#######

**[Gasai Residence]**

A soft click signified her arrival. She carefully closed the front door and slipped on a different pair of shoes.

_'Damnit! I'm late... let's hope she doesn't notice me...'_ she thought while tiptoeing through the main corridor leading to her bedroom. Just before she could open the door, a voice caused the pink haired girl to freeze in her tracks.

"You're late."

She turned around and saw her mother glaring at her, a frown present on her face.

"Yes, forgive me" the young girl apologized, giving her mother a pleading look.

"Don't give me that look, Yuno!" her mother said coldly, causing Yuno to flinch and quickly look down.

"Yes, Ma'am!" She could feel her mother's eyes carefully scrutinizing her.

"Where have you been?"

"The teacher asked me to help deliver some papers to the library."

The older woman's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why didn't you call beforehand?"

Yuno immediately replied. "I didn't want to disturb you."

"Lies!" her mother snapped angrily, grabbing her daughter's hair and dragging her towards the main corridor of the house. She opened the twin doors of a medium sized room and forcefully shoved Yuno inside.

"Go!" the older woman ordered, pointing to the small cage located in the middle of the dark room. "You will keep spending time in there until you learn how to behave properly."

Yuno sobbed silently to herself and walked obediently to her prison. After she entered it, her mother locked the cage's door and then left the room.

After the door closed, Yuno leaned against the steel bars, closed her eyes and waited for the nightmare to end. Eventually, she fell asleep while thinking about a certain silver haired young man.

#######

**[Uchiha Residence]**

The rest of the day passed quickly and without any disturbances. Naruto was now meditating in the backyard, the cold air of the night gently caressing his pale skin and causing his long silvery hair to be slightly swayed by the cool breeze.

With each passing second, the frown of concentration marring his features seemed to deepen, until it was eventually replaced by a victorious smirk.

"That was slightly harder than I anticipated, but in the end, it proved to be no match for me" Naruto said to himself.

He had been trying to pinpoint the strange sensation at the back of his mind that had been present from the first moment he stepped into this world. It was a subtle feeling, something that took him a day of complete focus and meditation to precisely locate.

When he finally managed to find what caused this, he was quite surprised and intrigued. It was some sort of link, established between his Rinne-Sharingan and an unknown sub-dimension that existed in this world.

From the way it was designed, Naruto deduced that this particular dimension could be accessed by anyone's consciousness, provided that they were allowed and were able to concentrate enough in order to do it.

However, he was certain that he could force his way in, if he were to use the Rinne-Sharingan. In the end, his curiosity won, and he decided to inspect this masterfully concealed dimension.

He absentmindedly created a wood clone, ordering it to inform Zetsu about what he was about to attempt, and then he stood up, his previous attire being replaced with the full bodied black garment and flowing white robe decorated with magatama markings and the Rinnegan pattern on its back, clothing that he had been wearing when he first arrived into this world.

His eyes were still closed, however the third one located on his forehead snapped open, revealing the ominous blood red Rinne-Sharingan.

Naruto cleared his mind and began concentrating. Suddenly, his chakra flared and his Rinne-Sharingan started glowing a menacing red. The wind started to pick up and small rocks could be seen levitating around him.

His chakra suddenly spiked and a small shockwave swept through the surrounding area. The ground itself started to rumble and shake as Naruto kept releasing more and more chakra, to the point that the wind was blowing fiercely. Visible chakra could be now seen surrounding his body, appearing as a bright silvery aura. It was so bright that Naruto shined like a beacon in the endless darkness of the night.

The clouds that previously littered the nightsky were now dispersing, revealing the glowing moon that was beginning to take on a slightly red hue, with his Rinne-Sharingan slightly reflecting upon its surface.

Suddenly, a cracking sound could be heard and the space surrounding Naruto began warping itself, twisting like a raging maelstrom until a completely different sight was revealed.

#######

**A few minutes earlier [Cathedral of Causality — Deus' Realm]**

The eerie, purple tinted domed chamber that represented the Causality Cathedral suddenly began to shake uncontrollably as if an earthquake was just occurring.

"Boss, what's going on?!" Murmur, Deus' little servant, shouted in panic. She was preparing her favourite mochi, when suddenly, tremors started wrecking the whole place.

Despite the powerful quakes that were rocking the entirety of the room, Deus was sitting calmly on his throne, simply watching curiously, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Our existence has finally been unveiled. And in such a short period of time. Marvelous! My expectations have been completely surpassed" Deus vaguely stated from his throne.

Murmur sweatdropped at her boss' explanation and the excited tone he spoke with. _'I wonder if he knows how to speak like a normal person...'_ Her musings were interrupted when a shattering noise ripped through the confines of the chamber.

Following that, an immense surge of power could be felt washing over the immediate vicinity. It originated from the middle of the room where the space itself seemed to be distorting, until it finally twisted completely, revealing the figure of an unfamiliar individual.

#######

**Present time [Cathedral of Causality — Deus' Realm]**

Naruto could almost feel the inquisitive gazes fixated upon his form. He payed them no mind for the time being and decided to inspect his surroundings. After a quick glance around the eerie looking room, he noted that it was quite the unique place.

His eyes then settled upon the towering figure in front of him that was sitting on what appeared to be a large floating throne. His appearance was certainly odd with that skull like mask, spiky hair and strange clothing, but the young man didn't let himself be fooled by that. This figure standing before him was very powerful, not exactly at his level, but close enough to be a strong opponent if they ever clashed.

Next to the imposing figure was a little, dark skinned girl with white hair styled in pigtails. Also in this case, he could sense that she wasn't to be taken lightly. Her power was very close to the one standing beside her, but he could sense that it was being suppressed by something.

'Probably by those bracelets. They seem to be quite similar to suppression seals. But then it means that she is the servant of that tall individual... nevertheless they seem to be very interesting. I think that I am going to enjoy this encounter' Naruto thought after he analyzed both individuals that were present in this mysterious place.

The silence was finally broken by a deep voice that came from the towering figure that was seated upon the floating throne. "Greetings, I am Deus Ex Machina, also known as the God of Space and Time of this dimension. May I inquire the name of the person who succeeded in shattering the boundaries that enshroud this realm?"

"And I am Murmur, his assistant! Do you like mochi?" a cheery voice piped in from next to Deus.

Naruto mentally sweatdropped at their introductions. _'I-It's true... all powerful individuals have a strange quirk...'_ he said inwardly to himself.

When he was done with his internal monologue, Naruto looked at Deus with a blank face and spoke in a formal tone. "I apologize for using such forceful means to enter this place, but I was very intrigued after I found out about its existence and I couldn't contain my curiosity. Now, regarding to who I am, my name is Uchiha Naruto, the God of Chakra. Also, as you have probably noticed by now, I am not from this world."

Deus narrowed his eyes after hearing the introduction. "Exactly as I thought..." he muttered to himself and then he focused his attention back on Naruto. "It is equally fascinating and exciting to meet an existence from another dimension, and a fellow god aswell. But, what brings you to this world?"

Naruto wasn't very surprised by his question, since he was somewhat of expecting it considering that he kind of intruded upon another god's domain. Well, more like he barged in after breaking the door, but you get the idea.

"Honestly? I ended up here by accident. When I decided to travel to another world I simply picked a random destination and it happened to bring me here. But if you want to better understand the circumstances involving my arrival, then I will have to tell you a little story first" the silver haired god explained, looking at Deus.

"A story? I find myself more curious with every passing second. Please, do tell" Deus replied, sounding intrigued.

"Very well. It all started with..." Naruto began, telling them the history of the shinobi world from its very origins.

#######

It took Naruto several hours to go through the whole history of the shinobi world, but he was finally done. Deus was quite demanding when it came to details, so instead of just highlighting the most important events, Naruto had to offer the more detailed version.

"That was an unique story, Naruto. I've never met someone as fascinating as you in my ten millennia of existence" Deus complimented.

"Thank you. Now, I take it that you have understood how I managed to arrive in this dimension" Naruto replied.

"Indeed. This chakra that you possess is truly an exceptional power that offers impressive versatility. I find myself limited in some aspects that you would probably have no problems with. For example, reviving the dead. From what you told me, several people in your world were able to achieve this feat, whereas in this world, such a thing cannot be realized. I am able to recreate a body, however the soul is impossible for me to bring back" Deus explained.

Naruto was surprised by the fellow god's statement and explanation that followed it. To him, bringing back a soul was incredibly easy, so when Deus claimed that he was unable to do so, it left him quite puzzled.

"I have a proposal for you, Naruto. Would you like to hear it?" the God of Time and Space asked.

Naruto was snapped out of his bafflement by the sudden question. He looked at Deus and prompted him to continue. "Of course."

"Very well, but before I begin, you should know that on the next year's 28th of July, my existence will come to an end. And following my death, if a successor of my powers isn't chosen, this world will cease to be aswell" Deus said with finality. He didn't seem to be affected by the fact that he only had a little over an year left to live.

Naruto's eyes widened. He was pretty shocked to hear that a god would simply stop existing and cause the world to fall apart, but then his mind caught the hidden meaning within the previously said words. "A successor? I hope you don't think about passing your job onto me, because I am definitely not interested."

Deus smirked. "I figured as much. However, you should still listen to my proposal, since you might find it intriguing enough."

Naruto decided to follow the elder god's suggestion. "Very well" he said.

"As I was saying, to prevent my death, a successor must be chosen to bear the mantle of god in my stead after I cease to exist. I understand that you wish a small breather from your previous encounters and I shall not pressure you to do anything. However, you might simply find what I am going to propose interesting enough to change your mind."

Deus paused and extended his left hand, where a cellphone started to materialize.

"I have decided to choose my successor by having twelve people compete into a death match type of game, where the winner shall become the next god. I thought that it would be much more interesting to watch several people compete for the ultimate prize, instead of just having it handed to them."

He looked at Naruto, who was eyeing the cellphone carefully and then continued.

"You are probably wondering what this cellphone is for?" Deus asked, indicating towards the small device that was floating above his left palm. Seeing Naruto's inquisitive gaze, he continued.

"Well, this device will be a key component into this game that I designed. Those who will be chosen to participate will all share one common trait. Besides being unique individuals, they will also be people who kept some sort of diary, whether they used a phone, a tape recorder or a scroll, it doesn't matter. These objects used by them to record certain events from their lives will be transformed into what I call **Future Diaries**, able to predict the owner's future to some degree, based on its previous functionality."

Deus paused and checked if Naruto had been following what he explained. Noticing that he didn't seem to have any trouble with his explanation until now, he continued.

"When all twelve contestants will have been chosen, a short briefing where I explain the rules shall follow. Afterwards, the game will be launched and the race for the throne of god shall commence. Also, since the diary will be reflecting the user's future, should it be destroyed, then the wielder's future is going to follow the same fate, causing said person to be removed from existence." Deus declared in his deep voice, crushing the cellphone hovering above his palm.

Naruto seemed to connect the dots in his mind and then sent an amused glance towards the fellow god. "And you wanted me to join this game of yours, because it would certainly make it much more interesting and exciting by adding an unpredictable factor to it?" he asked, his features settling into a smirk.

Deus mirrored his smirk and replied. "Exactly."

Naruto seemed to be deep in thought for a while, before he gave his answer. "This idea of yours appears to be very interesting and creative. Very well. Since currently, there's really nothing much on my agenda, I'll join this contest of yours. However, I still stand by my previous statement. If you desire a successor to your throne, then it shall be one from the remaining eleven participants who will be chosen."

Deus looked at the silver haired god and gave a deep chuckle. "I am glad you accepted my proposal. With you as a participant, this contest shall be definitely a glorious and unpredictable event."

Naruto's smirk returned, but this time it was more on the mischievous side. "I think that I forgot to mention something. Because the main reason for my involvement in this game is entertainment, I shall be using the means that will provide the most of it. I hope that this isn't going to be a problem."

Deus seemed to be pondering what Naruto previously said. Suddenly he gave another deep, hearty chuckle. "I figured that you might say this. Yes, I don't mind what means you employ as long as it is entertaining. However I trust that you won't do anything excessive" he stated, narrowing his eyes at the end.

A devilish smirk found its way on Naruto's features. "Oh, I assure you that it will be very entertaining. And don't worry about me being excessive. It wouldn't be exactly fun if I just dropped a huge meteorite and leveled the city, right?"

Both gods looked at eachother in silence for a few moments. Suddenly, Deus started to chuckle, action that was shortly mimicked by Naruto.

When they seemed to be done, Naruto spoke again. "Well, now that we are finished with this, I believe it's time for me to depart, since school will most likely be starting in a few hours and I still have to take care of a few other things before that."

"Of course, but do visit us again sometime, Naruto. Also, I granted you access to the Cathedral, so please refrain from breaking my realm's boundaries next time." Deus said.

Naruto smirked. "I shall keep that in mind. Until next time, Deus" he said his goodbye and created an inky black portal in front of him.

"Goodbye, Naruto" Deus replied.

"Bye, Naruto" Murmur chimed in cheerfully.

Naruto then proceeded to enter the dark void within the tear in space, his last thought revolving around a certain midget. _'She was oddly quiet during my talk with Deus. Well, she probably just didn't want to interrupt.'_

After Naruto left the Cathedral of Causality, Murmur turned to face Deus and spoke. "Good idea, boss! With him in the game, everything is going to be so much fun! I can already see several causalities starting to change because he decided to become a participant."

Deus hummed in agreement and then began to adjust some causalities, his long fingers masterfully operating the strange device in front of his throne that resembled a huge keyboard.

#######

**[Uchiha Residence]**

Naruto exited the tear in space and landed in his backyard. He noticed that his previously created wood clone was still with Zetsu. 'It most likely relayed to him what I discussed with Deus' he thought.

Such were the advantages of using wood clones. These clones were capable of live communication with the creator, being able to transmit information without dispelling themselves. It was truly a boon to have.

When Naruto entered the living room, he spotted Zetsu in his usual place, on the sofa staring at the television, watching a show about plant life.

Zetsu sensed his master's arrival and turned to face him. "It was inevitable, Naruto-sama" he said solemnly, however his grin betrayed his skilled act. In the end he decided to drop the pretense and continued. "Look on the bright side, it's one year until the game, so you better relax as much as you can before that time comes" he said in his cheery tone, returning to watch his show as soon as he finished speaking.

Naruto sighed. "Zetsu, I'm going to meditate until 6:00" he said, heading towards his bedroom, his clothes already replaced with his blue long sleeved shirt and white pants. He heard a faint "Sure thing, Naruto-sama" while on his way to the bedroom.

When he entered his room, he sat on the floor in the lotus position and quickly started his meditation, thinking about the latest things that he had learned about this world as well as a certain survival game that he got himself involved in.

_**Chapter End**_

**Edit—22.01.2015: Fixed several punctuation errors.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Mirai Nikki/Future Diary.**

**Before we get to anything else, I would like to thank everyone who read, followed, favorited and reviewed this. I really appreciate your support.**

**Now onto the subject of the story itself. The first part of this chapter is quite dark in nature, but mostly because it deals with the abuse Yuno had to endure at the hands of her mother. The anime and manga don't give very much information on Yuno's life before the survival game, so I decided to expand some of the things shown in flashbacks during the entirety of Mirai Nikki, because I wanted to provide a better explanation of how and why Yuno acquired her stalking habits and psychopathic tendencies.**

**Honestly, I believe that the anime could have done a much better job with the outlining of Yuno's past than it actually did, but I guess that they just had to cut to the chase fast, and couldn't spend too much of the allotted time on things as such.**

**And lastly, if you have any questions regarding this chapter, don't hesitate to drop me a PM.**

**Well, this is everything for now, so on with the story!**

#######

**Chapter 2: Renewed Hope**

**[Gasai Residence]**

Darkness was enveloping her small frame from every possible angle. The coldness of the metal floor was seeping deep into her bones, weakening her frail body even further.

Yuno was certain that if something didn't change, she wouldn't last for much longer. With each passing day, her will to live was slowly diminishing. She didn't know how much more she could endure. She wasn't sure anymore if it was even worth trying because, in the end, the only thing life brought her, was suffering.

She was being locked in the cage by her mother more often than ever. She was let out to go to school, but these last few weeks, she would be shut in there even during the weekend. If her father came home, he would yell at his wife to let Yuno out, thus granting her a brief reprieve, but work was keeping him so busy that he rarely came home anymore.

Why would they keep treating her like this? Why wouldn't they understand how she felt?

#######

Days were passing by like a blur while she was forced to stay within the confines of the cage. Yuno wasn't sure for how long she had been locked this time. The room had no windows, so she couldn't keep track of time.

At some point, her mother came in to bring her some water, but that was the last she had seen of her. Without any food, she had tried to eat the tatami mats as she sometimes did when she was desperate, but that only made her stomach ache even more.

Suddenly, she heard a voice, soft like a whisper, that seemed to be coming from somewhere within the cage. "Everything would be so much easier if that woman was gone from your life." Yuno was lying on her back, barely conscious, staring blankly at the cage's ceiling. Through her bleary eyes, Yuno could only discern the faint outline of what appeared to be some kind of shadowy figure, floating above her.

This was most likely a hallucination caused by the severe starvation, but to the young girl it just looked so real. Her stressed mind could no longer distinguish between what was reality and what wasn't. Yuno shook her head, trying to resist the very tempting offer. "No... Mama's just sick... she's a good person... she just... needs help. Papa would be so sad if something happened to Mama."

"Like he cares about any of you..." she heard the same voice whisper again. "No... I'm sure Papa's just busy... just busy..." Yuno said to herself, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the haunting whispers.

"Come on, Yuno, you can handle it. You've managed to survive through this many times before. I'm sure Mama will let you out anytime now." She brought her knees close to her chest and tried to imagine herself being somewhere else, hoping that it would be enough to distract her mind from the hunger pain and the strange voices that seemed to be tormenting her.

Moments later, as if life had finally decided to show her some mercy, she drifted off to blissful unconsciousness.

#######

Yuno was looking with a smile at the bottle of sleeping pills that she took from her mother's nightstand. "Don't worry, Mama, Papa... with this... we will soon be a family again!" She was in a better mood than usual. Ever since she devised a plan to fix her broken family, she had been in very high spirits, happy that her family would be finally together again.

After she had been so close to dieing the last time when she was locked in the cage, she became terrified of the thought that she might have to return in there. She didn't think that she could handle going back to that place another time, so she bet everything on her newly hatched plan. It had to work.

"Papa should be coming home tonight, so I'll have to do it then..."

No one would help her, so she was left out of options. She had to take the matter in her own hands. She had no other choice. She had to save her family herself.

She was sure that if her parents were shown how terrible her treatment was, how it felt to be locked away and abandoned, then they would finally understand how she felt. Her mother would see how much she made her daughter suffer, then she would apologize and stop punishing her like that. And her father would realize how much he was neglecting his family and would come home more often.

It was a perfect plan, and Yuno couldn't wait to have a fresh start with her parents.

#######

A sharp voice suddenly cut through the silent atmosphere of the dark room.

"Yuno!"

Said voice belonged to a middle aged woman, who had just woken up to find herself in the very cage that she forced her daughter to spend most of her time in.

"What is the meaning of this!?" her mother snarled, glaring through the steel bars of the cage at the girl.

"Ah! You're finally awake!" Yuno replied, beaming at her mother. She stood up from the wooden floor where she had been waiting for her parents to wake up and approached the front of the cage. She noticed that her father also woke up, though he was looking a little dazed.

"Mama, Papa... I'm sorry that it had come to this..." Yuno began, gazing at the floor shyly. She had planned out a little speech for herself while her parents were still sleeping. "...But the way you treat me... I can't take it anymore. It's like you don't even understand how I feel. Mama, you keep me locked in the cage for days with barely any food, and sometimes even without water. I was so close to dieing the last time! And Papa, at first you told her to stop treating me like that, but lately you don't even come home anymore. You are always so busy at work that Mama had become depressed without you, and she takes everything out by punishing me."

She paused for a moment and then continued. "This has to stop. No more charts and strict schedules and no more cage. I want to have decent meals like every other person. I... I just want to be normal..."

When Yuno was finished with her speech, she looked up from the floor and waited for their reply. However, the only answer she got was them furiously shaking the bars.

"Yuno, let us out this instant! You have no right to do this!" her father yelled in anger.

"What are you doing!?" her mother shouted, her features twisted in rage. "Do you even realize what you are doing!?"

Yuno was quite confused by their reactions. Weren't they listening to what she told them? She continued to stare at them.

"Let us out immediately!" both of them yelled.

Yuno shook her head. "When you realize what torture you have subjected me to and apologize... then I'll let you out." She was certain that they would apologize any moment now.

"You devil child!" her mother eventually screamed, her voice filled with venom. When she saw that the girl wasn't going to let them out, fury clouded her mind and she became even more violent.

Yuno's whole body tensed in shock at that. "You horrible, ungrateful monster!" Another hatred filled remark followed, this one even more spiteful than the previous one.

"Eh?" Yuno tilted her head in puzzlement. She didn't understand why they were acting like that. This wasn't what she had been expecting. This was totally different from what she had imagined. She was convinced that once both of them experienced what they put her through, even if just for a few minutes, they would finally understand how she felt.

"You little bitch! I curse the day you were born!"

Yuno's eyes widened at the extremely cruel remark and tears were starting to pool at the corner of her eyes. She turned around and fled from the room, shutting the door behind her. The sound of muffled sobs could be heard fading in the distance.

Yuno couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. She didn't understand why they reacted that way. Maybe they were just mad right now? Yes, that had to be the reason. Once they calmed down it would probably be alright. She would check on them tomorrow.

#######

However, tomorrow never came. Yuno was just too terrified to check up on them. Most of the time she could hear them arguing fiercely, thing that made her very nervous, but sometimes they were silent. It was in one of those moments, when it was really quiet in the room, that she had tried to open the door, only to be immediately assaulted with a string of curses.

After that, it took her a while to find again the courage to go check up on her parents. Eventually, she had managed to slide them a tray of food through a partially opened door while they were both sleeping. However, that had been several days ago and soon they would soon need more food.

The young girl was currently at a loss. She didn't know what to do. Even though she wanted to let them out, she couldn't do it. Her mom punished her with hours upon hours of confinement only for trivial things like talking back or missing curfew. She dreaded to think what she would do to her for something like this. She began to shudder at the thought. And now, with her father also mad at her, there was no one to defend her. This time, she was all alone.

Because of her plan being solely based on the fact that hey would apologize to her, Yuno hadn't planned ahead for something like the current scenario. She tried once more to slide open the twin doors leading to the room where her caged parents were, but a vicious snarl of "Yuno!" from the other side instantly crumbled down her resolve.

#######

**2005/04/17 [Gasai Residence]**

It had been several days until she decided to try again. Everything had been silent for a while now, maybe even too silent. For a whole day, no sound could be heard coming from that room.

Yuno tried to remember how long it had been since the day she slipped them that tray of food. Burrowed in her worries as she had been, she had quickly lost track of time. She steeled her resolve and went to prepare another tray of food.

Yuno carefully slid open the doors to the room, thinking that maybe weakened as they were now, she could probably reason with her parents without them screaming profanities at her.

She saw them lying on the cold floor of the cage, unmoving. 'They are sleeping' she thought, a small smile settling on her features. 'They look so peaceful now.' She crouched down in front of the cage and put the food tray on the floor.

"Mama, Papa, wake up... I brought something for you to eat." However, they still lay there, unmoving. Yuno reached out with her hand and gently shook her father's arm, but quickly pulled back. His arm was cold and felt weird. She checked her mother's arm and it was the same. Now that she was closer, she could notice that her mother's eyes were wide open.

A wave of panic surged through her body. "Mama, Papa, wake up! You two need to eat something! Wake up!" Yuno shook the cage, but they still lay there, unmoving.

"They must be truly exhausted if they still didn't wake up by now" she tried to convince herself and gave a humorless chuckle. "I'll leave the food here and let them rest..." However, before she stood up to leave, she noticed something rather strange and unsettling about the way her parents were lying there. It looked like they weren't even breathing.

"They aren't sleeping" Yuno looked at her parents in shock. "They aren't sleeping..." she repeated to herself when she finally realized what happened. It was too much for her. She leaned against the wall for support, feeling dizzy and nauseous.

"They're dead!" Yuno shouted, looking in horror at the dead bodies confined in the small cage.

#######

After about a month, Yuno eventually came up to terms with what had happened. The fact that her parents were dead, that she killed them, finally sank in.

Soon she realized that she had to make up lies about their whereabouts. She called the bank they owned and told them that they had gone on a trip, without telling her for how long they would be gone. However, it was only a matter of time before they realized that the two owners had gone missing.

Also, the electricity had been cut off today. The water was still running, but she had received a disconnection notice in the mailbox three days ago. Yuno didn't have access to her parents' bank accounts, so she couldn't afford to pay any of the bills.

Yuno was currently sitting in the corner of the room with her parents' bodies, like she did every day after the school was over. The prevalent smell of death and decay was horrible, but she couldn't be bothered with it anymore. She was simply beyond caring at this point.

She stared blankly at the two corpses. "Mama, Papa, I'm so scared..." she knew that they would never answer, but she still found talking to them being somewhat comforting. "What should I do?"

It was only a matter of time before someone would show up to investigate her parents' mysterious disappearance. But what would happen then? They would discover the bodies and know what she did. She would be locked again, in another cage, this time probably for the rest of her life. She couldn't go back into another cage, not after just being freed from one. She simply couldn't. Her dream of being a normal girl was shattered. Even with her parents now gone, it was still impossible for her to be normal.

Yuno brought her knees close to her chest and wrapped her slender arms around her legs. She rested her head on her knees and thought about what she was supposed to do. She couldn't run away, since there was nowhere that she could go. She thought that it might be better if she just died, that she would finally be free, but then she remembered how frightening it had been when she almost died by starvation. She didn't want to go through something similar again, so killing herself was not an option. The thought of dieing terrified her too much, even when the alternate was much worse.

In the end, Yuno was stuck. Without anything she could do, her situation was truly hopeless. She was trapped with absolutely no way out. Though she had still kept up the appearances by acting normal, her daily routine had become meaningless now. She had nothing left to live for. She no longer had a future. The only thing she had left was despair.

#######

**2005/05/10 14:30 [Sakurami Middle School]**

_Your dreams for the future: What do you want to do in the future?_

Yuno was staring intently at the survey paper that the teacher had just placed on her desk. Since there were only two more years of middle school left, the teachers were trying to set their students on the paths that would lead them to their future careers.

"Be sure to hand them in by 16:00" the teacher said once every student had received their questionnaire.

Yuno continued to stare at the piece of paper, as if it represented something of an alien concept. _'Future? What am I supposed to write?'_ Right now, she would have probably had better chances with answering a question about particle physics. _'There is nothing for me in the future...'_

The more she thought about this, the harder it was for her to find an answer. Her classmates were diligently writing about their own dreams for the future. Nobody knew of her struggles. Nobody knew of what she had done. Nobody knew that she had nothing left to continue living for.

Everyone else had a family, a life, a future for them, but what did she have? Her parents were dead, rotting away in a cage. Yuno began to feel sick at the memories. What kind of daughter killed her own parents? She was a monster, or as her mother called her that day, a devil child.

_'There is no future for me other than death...'_

Before she even realized, the class was over and her paper was still blank. The other students had already packed their things and left. Even the teacher was gone.

However, upon a closer look it seemed that she wasn't the only one left in the room. Standing a few rows in front of her and to the left, was the same young man that she had thought was, in a way, similar to her. The one whose childhood story resembled her's to some degree.

Yuno couldn't see his face from where she was sitting, but she could at least tell that he was glaring at the same paper on his desk. Someone besides her was having trouble thinking about their future? Yuno was surprised. She wondered what could be giving him so much trouble.

Curiosity and probably the desperate need to distract her mind from her own dark future prompted Yuno to stand up from her desk and walk over to him.

_'Wait... what am I doing? What am I even going to say to him?'_ These were the thoughts that went through her mind while she was walking towards the desk of the silver haired young man.

#######

Almost an entire month had passed since Naruto's encounter with the local deity, Deus ex Machina, the God of Time and Space. He was certain that after their previous discussion, there would be nothing that could surprise him in this world anymore.

_'My dreams for the future...'_ Naruto was currently staring at the piece of paper that seemed to be the greatest psychological challenge he had faced since the last geography test.

_'Well... let's see... Avenged my clan? Check. Stopped a megalomaniacal goddess from turning everyone into plant fertilizer? Check. Took away the chakra of every person from my world in order to create a balance that would hopefully last for a few centuries? Check. Inadvertedtly became a god upon reuniting all chakra with the Shinju inside of me? Check. Helped Zetsu find a hobby? Check...'_

After Naruto thought about every single goal that he set for himself during his lifetime and crossed every one of them out, he came to a startling conclusion. _'And this leaves me with... nothing...? Huh...?'_ Come to think of it... he had never made any plans that would go beyond him dealing with Kaguya. Everything that he had done after that, had been more of a spur of the moment thing. He didn't really think everything through at that time.

As he was having his internal struggle about figuring out what were his plans for the future, Naruto didn't notice that he was the only other person left in the classroom who didn't write anything on their paper. Even that black haired boy, who for the past ten minutes had been alternating between writing something on his paper and then promptly erasing it was now gone.

Suddenly, the silver haired young man's musings where interrupted by a soft voice that came from his right.

"What's wrong? You can't come up with something either?" Naruto glanced from his paper and noticed a cotton candy haired girl, Gasai Yuno, if he remembered correctly, standing next to his desk.

From what he knew, she was a very hard working student, with perfect grades and an exemplar behavior, being very polite with everyone around her. And yet, as he was looking at her, there seemed to be something hidden deep into her eyes that completely betrayed her facial expression. It was as if she was suffering on the inside, but she covered everything with a mask of indifference.

It was impossible for Naruto to not notice something like this, because, after all, he had been through something similar himself. A dull ache flared in his chest at that memory. It had been so long since it happened, but the scars never healed completely. He slightly shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He really didn't want to remember again the events of that day. It simply pained him too much whenever he did so.

A few moments later, Naruto was snapped out of his melancholic daze when he realized that he had yet to give an answer to the girl standing right next to him.

"Forgive me for spacing out like that. And to answer your question, yes, I can't come up with anything to write on this survey. As of two months ago, when my grandfather died, my previous life ended aswell. When I decided to leave my old home, I simply did it without having any solid plans for the future in mind. I just felt like seeing what lay beyond the world that I already knew" he replied.

When Yuno heard his response, for some reason, it made her feel slightly better. Just knowing that there was someone else who shared her struggles in finding a future, made her think that she wasn't so alone after all. She felt a connection form with this young man, as if destiny itself brought them together to find a future in eachother.

"Then how about this? We could create a future together" she said, taking his pencil from his desk and starting to write something on his paper.

"I will become your wife in the future" Yuno wrote down while reading out loud at the same time. She wasn't sure why she did this, it wasn't an usual occurrence for her to be impulsive like that. _'But I could really see myself together with him. It would definitely be nice to have someone to love...'_

For the first time in the past month, Yuno could imagine a future for herself. A future where she was someone's wife. But it seemed to be a very improbable outcome, a longshot, a hopeful dream, so she braced herself for the inevitable rejection.

While Yuno appeared to be caught up in her own thoughts, Naruto had his eyes fixated on the sheet of paper. _'My wife...?'_ He had never thought about something like this before. His whole life had been dedicated to training and then, after he found about Black Zetsu's betrayal, to avenging his clan and stopping that madwoman.

_'But still... is she serious? Or is this some kind of joke?'_

He glanced again at Yuno.

There seemed to be a note of desperation in her eyes, as if his answer would somehow decide her entire future. He couldn't help but wonder what could possibly cause her to feel like that.

_'I don't think she is joking... she seems to be serious about this. But what's with that look in her eyes. It's like I'm some sort of judge and she's waiting for her sentence...'_ he thought.

Honestly, Naruto had no idea what to do in this situation. His experience with anything related to the fairer gender was something on the lines of nonexistent. The only women he had ever met were the occasional kunoichi he fought during his lifetime. Well, there was also that time when his grandfather had to teach him about the seduction techniques that kunoichi often resorted to, but it had been an extremely awkward experience, one that he would rather not go through again. There were certain things that simply shouldn't be done, even if it was in a genjutsu. He didn't even want to think about how his grandfather came up with an idea like that.

_'Maybe I should just accept and see where that leads us... what's the worst thing that could happen? We realize that it had been a mistake and forget about everything. Or it could very well work and we might find eachother together before we even realize... Well, I'll never know unless I actually give it a shot...'_

The idea of finding someone that could stand beside him, that he could share his happiness with, was very appealing to Naruto. He knew that eventually he would have to find someone that could fulfill that role because, an eternity alone wasn't exactly the most pleasant of things. Sure, he had Zetsu, but that was something entirely different. Besides, now that time wasn't a defining constant in his life anymore, he could afford dedicating some of it exclusively for that purpose.

At some point, Yuno noticed that Naruto seemed to be deep in thought after she had made her proposal. It made her doubt her chances even more. There wouldn't be any possibility that he would accept such a thing, right?

However, to her immense surprise, he smiled at her, a small smile that filled her entire being with hope. "Alright, but when you will get older" he said, his voice surprisingly gentle.

Yuno couldn't believe her ears. _'I-Is this real? Is he serious about this?'_ She stared at him, shocked by his reply. She had expected him to laugh, thinking that it was some sort of joke, even if she had been serious. But to actually agree? It was so unexpected. She couldn't stop herself from blushing. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Yuno looked at him and for the first time in a very long time, she smiled, a radiant smile filled with hope gracing her features.

"Sure!" she replied, barely containing her happiness. There was a future for her again!

#######

**2005/05/17 18:00 [Sakurami Shopping Center]**

Wandering between the many shops that could be found inside the crowded mall were two certainly unique people.

One of them possessed spiky, long silvery hair and was clothed in a pair of black jeans along with a white shirt and black sneakers. Atop the white shirt he was also wearing a black jacket.

His companion was far more unique with his mop of short green hair, pale yellow eyes and chalk white skin. His attire was also far from normal and more along the lines of something that would be worn by a cosplayer. It consisted of a long, dark cloak with red clouds adorning its fabric, a red interior and a chin-high collar. Under said cloak, he wore blue pants and sandals and had both legs wrapped in bandages. Also, on each of his fingers he wore a ring, each with a different symbol on a colored background.

After visiting yet another shop, the silver haired individual turned to his companion and spoke, his calm tone being betrayed by the frown etched into his features. "Zetsu, don't you think that you already have enough seeds for your bonsai collection?"

The green haired individual glanced at the several bags that he was carrying and replied with his usual grin and cheery tone. "Well, Naruto-sama, I believe that you are right~"

Naruto gave an almost inaudible sigh of relief at his friend's response. He really didn't want to spend any more time watching over Zetsu who would act like a child on a sugar rush whenever they entered a gardening shop. Not to mention the fact that every five minutes or so, some random passerby would stop, stare at Zetsu for a few moments, then excitedly ask if he could take a picture with said plant-like individual.

"Then we should head back home. We've been here for two hours and I have yet to finish my training for today" Naruto said flatly, walking towards the shopping center's exit.

"Aye!" Zetsu exclaimed excitedly, catching up to his master shortly after. He seemed to be really thrilled by his recent acquisitions.

#######

While they were walking home, Zetsu appeared to remember something that he had wanted to ask Naruto for the last two hours. He had been so captivated by the variety of products in each of the stores they had visited, that he had momentarily forgotten about anything he might have wanted to ask his master.

"Master, you are aware that we have been followed for the past two hours, right?"

Naruto's response was to briefly close his eyes while a look of concentration settled upon his features. He then focused on the world around him, sensing for any sources of life in the immediate vicinity. He immediately located the one nearest to him, which was several feet in the opposite direction he had be walking into, behind the last street corner he had passed by.

Even though he was able to easily locate and identify the person who had been following him for the past couple of hours, Naruto had to admit that if he didn't possess any life force sensing capabilities, nor had any shinobi training, he wouldn't have noticed the girl following him. When it came to subtlety, she was better than most chūnin that he had seen over the years.

The silver haired young man smirked and looked at Zetsu. "Yes, I am aware of this fact. The person following us is someone from my class. She's hiding behind the corner we just passed by."

Zetsu's ever present grin stretched even further, to the point that it looked a little disturbing. "So, whatever did you do to the poor girl to make her follow you like that? She seems to be quite relentless in her pursuit."

Naruto didn't like Zetsu's grin, not one bit. Whenever he smiled like that, he was about to do something that would definitely annoy him.

"Well, a week ago, we had to fill some damnable surveys about our future dreams. I didn't know what to write, and while I was trying to come up with something, she suddenly appeared next to my desk. She asked me if I had any plans for the future, and since I couldn't come up with anything, she wrote on my paper that she would become my wife in the future. That actually made me think for the first time since we left our world about what I would do with my life, because let's face it, besides training and avenging my clan there had been no other goals within my life thus far." Naruto explained, "So I decided to simply see what the future had in store for me and accepted her proposal."

By the time the young man was finished, Zetsu's grin threatened to split his face in half. It seemed that Naruto would have to endure some teasing, since it would have probably been impossible to hide such information from the plant-like man. Zetsu knew his master and friend too well for him to be able to hide something like that for too long.

"How bold of you, master! To agree to such a proposal... she must be very beautiful to have caught your eyes in such a short time. I'm so jealous!" Zetsu teased. This was a golden opportunity to poke some fun at his master and he wouldn't miss it.

Naruto twitched an eyebrow at this. He knew that something like this was unavoidable, but it still annoyed him. Zetsu had an unique was of getting under your skin and annoying the hell out of you. Even Naruto, for all his experience in dealing with the plant-like man, wasn't completely immune to it.

"I don't think that I need to spell it out for you. I'm sure that you realized why I did what I did. Besides, there is still a long time left until we would even consider what she had proposed and you never know how things could progress. She could very well change her mind, or we could simply not be fit for eachother."

Despite Naruto's valiant efforts to settle this matter, Zetsu didn't look like he would be dropping it anytime soon. Or he simply didn't want to, because it had been some time since he had that much fun at his master's expense.

"Ah, I think I get it now. Now that you have finally achieved your life long goals, you didn't know what to do next, so you let your beastly urges influence your thoughts and decided to start preying upon defenseless young girls" Zetsu stated in an understanding tone, before he pondered out loud. "However, I can't help but wonder what master will do next. Maybe start his own harem where he could keep every innocent girl that is going to fall into his devious clutches. Yes, that definitely sounds like something master would do."

Naruto's both eyebrows twitched upon hearing the ridiculous theory that Zetsu managed to come up with. "I don't know how you managed to reach that conclusion, but I'm not going to continue this. I'm on the verge of getting another headache and I really don't want to begin my training with one."

"Killjoy..." Zetsu replied, pouting childishly. However, that expression on his face looked even more disturbing that his previous ear splitting grin.

#######

**2005/05/17 15:00 [Sakurami Middle School]**

_'Uchiha-kun...'_ Yuno thought dreamily, her eyes fixated upon said young man, who was busy packing his notebook and various other materials required for class. The school was finished for today, and everyone was preparing to leave to their homes.

It had been one week since she made her promise and said young man had become the only thing she thought about. The conversation she had with him the last week had been a beacon of hope in her dark world, and she just couldn't stop thinking about it or about him.

Whenever any thought that was even remotely negative creeped into her mind, she would immediately squash it. Now that she finally found someone who gave her a purpose in life, she couldn't afford to wallow in sadness and self-pity anymore.

_'No! I can't disappoint Uchiha-kun. He gave me a future!'_ Yuno voiced inwardly with determination. She had to be available, so that they could marry when she was older, just as she promised him.

Yuno watched Naruto leave the class and then she fished out her cellphone. She flipped it open and started typing on the tiny keypad. After they talked on that day, she had started writing a diary of sorts about him on her phone. Since it would take a while before the future where she married Uchiha-kun would come to be, she had to ease her needy heart until then by writing about him in her phone diary.

_May 17 15:10_

_Uchiha-kun had just left the classroom. He looked like he was in a hurry. I should follow him and find out why!_

Yuno put her phone back in her pocket, took her schoolbag and left the classroom. She was eager to follow her Uchiha-kun and find out what he would be doing today.

She had been watching him from a distance for the past week, but she never actually approached him. The simple thought that she could end up scaring him terrified her. She was, after all, a girl who killed her own parents. What would he think if he knew that? There was no way that she could let him find out.

Besides that, Uchiha-kun wasn't exactly the social type. He rarely started a conversation with someone at school, so she was afraid that she might end up saying the wrong thing to him. She wasn't very good at socializing herself. What would happen if she said something that resulted in offending him, and he took back his promise? Yuno didn't think that she could handle it if he ever took that away from her.

_'I will keep watching him from a distance, for now at least'_ Yuno decided. Then she proceeded to silently follow her Uchiha-kun walking to his home, still wondering why he was being in such a hurry.

#######

**2005/05/17 15:20 [Uchiha Residence]**

Yuno watched from behind the corner of the stone walls that surrounded Naruto's house and saw him open the twin steel doors and enter his front yard.

By the time the metal doors closed, she was already typing something on her phone.

_May 17 15:20_

_Uchiha-kun arrived home. Maybe now I will find out why he was in such a hurry._

Yuno stood there, waiting patiently, thinking about what Uchiha-kun might be doing. After around ten minutes later, the doors opened again, revealing two individuals. One she recognized immediately as Uchiha-kun. The other, however, was someone unfamiliar to her.

That person also looked kind of weird with his mop of short green hair, pale yellow eyes and chalk white skin. And that cloak he wore didn't do anything to improve his overall appearance.

Yuno was honestly surprised, since she thought that Uchiha-kun lived alone. She wondered who this odd person was. Her thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched voice.

"Let's go, Naruto-sama! I can't wait to start my collection~" the chalk white individual spoke cheerfully.

Naruto looked quite amused at the scene. "You sure are very excited about this, Zetsu" he said, starting to walk down the street, most likely heading towards the shopping area.

Yuno listened in to their brief conversation, thinking about what she found out until now. _'Uchiha-kun seems to be familiar with this Zetsu person, but on the other hand, Zetsu refers to him as his master. Maybe he is his servant or something like that?'_

The girl was pulled out of her musing when she noticed the two of them walking away. She immediately followed them, typing again something on her phone.

_May 17 15:30_

_Uchiha-kun left his house with an odd invididual named Zetsu. He seems to be familiar with this person, who I think is his servant. Uchiha-kun is so cool!_

#######

**2005/05/17 16:00 [Sakurami Shopping Center]**

Yuno followed the duo until they arrived at the Sakurami Shopping Center. She waited patiently for them to enter and after several seconds she followed suit.

_May 17 16:00_

_Uchiha-kun arrived at the shopping center. I wonder what he's looking for._

Yuno typed another entry in her diary while following Naruto through the mall.

After some time, she noticed that they were only checking gardening shops. She saw Zetsu becoming overexcited everytime he entered one of these shops and it was quite a funny scene to witness.

She glanced again at Naruto and Zetsu, the latter carrying numerous bags in both of his hand of what seemed to be gardening supplies.

_May 17 18:00_

_Uchiha-kun helped his servant, Zetsu, buy gardening supplies. He's such a caring person!_

After checking one more shop, they had a brief conversation, after which they headed towards the shopping center's exit.

Yuno kept following them, all the while typing on her cellphone.

_May 17 18:10_

_After two hours of shopping, Uchiha-kun is finally walking back home._

#######

**2005/05/17 19:00 [Gasai Residence]**

When Yuno got back to her house it was already 19:00 and the sun had almost completely set.

She went to her room and sat down on the bed. She fished her phone out from her pocket and scrolled through the last entries.

_May 17 18:30_

_I watched Uchiha-kun walk home again today. The sun was just starting to set while we were walking and it made him look so cool!_

_May 17 18:40_

_Event though I watched Uchiha-kun the whole day, I already can't wait to see him again tomorrow._

Yuno lay onto her back and brought the phone close to her chest, hugging it. She wondered what he was doing right now. He was probably preparing for dinner or helping Zetsu sort through his gardening supplies.

She felt a little lonely at that thought. Uchiha-kun had Zetsu to keep him company, but she was sitting alone in her empty house.

_'Someday, I will be living together with him'_ Yuno thought with a smile, finding some comfort within those words. She would just have to be patient until that day came to be.

#######

**2005/06/11 16:00 [Gasai Residence]**

A month had passed since Yuno made her promise to Naruto. She continued to watch over him every day, at school and when walking home, but these last few days she started to feel as if she could do more than that.

That's what inspired her to devise her current plan. She would spend a night with Uchiha-kun! Well, not exactly with him, because she couldn't do that when she hadn't even spoken to him yet. So, she came up with an alternative. She would hide in his yard and watch him from there.

"Let's see... Sleeping bag? Check. Binoculars? Check. Camera? Check. Food basket? Check." Yuno checked once again if she had everything ready and then took her tools and left for Uchiha-kun's house. She could barely contain her excitement at the idea of having a sleepover with him.

#######

**2005/06/11 16:30 [Uchiha Residence]**

When Yuno arrived at his house she started looking for a good spot to hide, but also one from where she could see into his house.

Eventually, she found the perfect spot. Among the many trees present in his yard, there was one slightly bigger than his house, that was right near the tall bushes that circled the front of his house.

If she positioned herself between the large tree and the bushes, she would be completely hidden from view.

Yuno quickly dashed to said tree and unpacked her sleeping bag, placing it at the base of the large tree and near the bushes. She absentmindedly noted that his garden had quite the variety of trees and other plants, but her attention was shifted when she heard some faint noises coming from his backyard.

Curiosity getting the best of her, Yuno carefully left her hiding spot and without exposing herself, she crossed the yard, and hid behind another decent sized tree.

She slowly tilted her head, trying to peek from the side of the tree she was hiding behind. She ended up pleasantly surprised by what she witnessed in the distance. Naruto was going through several taijutsu stances, and the noise she heard before originated from the swift strikes he was landing upon the several training dummies that surrounded him.

Yuno was almost mesmerized by the grace he was displaying while flowing through the many katas that belonged to his taijutsu style. His technique seemed to be flawless and he looked like not a single movement was wasted when he executed his strikes. However, she soon realized one important fact about Uchiha-kun. He was bare chested, wearing only a pair of blue pants with white bandages around his ankles and black sandals.

Through her binoculars she could perfectly see how his lean muscles tensed like steel cords, before each strike was delivered upon the unfortunate wooden dummies that creaked and splintered under the sheer force he was putting behind his swift blows.

Yuno tried to fight the blush that threatened to creep onto her features, but her valiant attempts seemed to be futile. She quickly hid back behind the large tree, now being very aware of her burning cheeks and pounding heart. She slowly took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

Around five minutes passed before Yuno managed to regain her wits. She slowly lowered herself onto the grass covered ground and leaned against the thick trunk behind her. When she briefly closed her eyes, the image of his lean and toned body flashed through her mind, causing her to blush again, but only slightly this time.

_'Uchiha-kun is so diligent when it comes to training. He was so amazing back there... moving with such grace and skill'_ Yuno thought while remembering what she witnessed several minutes ago. She brought out her phone and started typing, her delicate fingers a blur on the tiny keypad.

_June 11 16:50_

_Uchiha-kun is training in his backyard. He is so amazing!_

When she finished typing, she waited for a few minutes, before she tilted her head again, peeking once more at Uchiha-kun. She saw him stop from his training and head towards the back entrance of his house.

_'He is probably going to take a shower'_ she thought, typing a new entry in her diary.

_June 11 17:00_

_Uchiha-kun is having a shower after a session of vigorous training._

Ten or so minutes later, she saw a light flicker on in the room above herself. She was curious about what she could find there, but did she dare?

Yuno glanced at the tree right next to her, noticing that a branch split exactly in the direction of the room where she noticed the lights being turned on a few moments earlier. She looked once more at the tree and decided to do it. She wouldn't give up so easily, especially not when Uchiha-kun was at stake.

"I can't give up without a fight! Don't worry, Uchiha-kun, I'm coming!"

She faced the tree and stopped for a moment. _'Hmm... how am I going to do this?'_ Yuno wasn't exactly a tree climbing expert. Sure, she climbed a few trees when she was younger and still at the orphanage, but that had been such a long time ago.

Yuno grabbed onto one of the lower branches and pulled herself up, using her legs to help her climbing. She managed to find a foothold for her feet and from there it was much easier. The following branches were close together, so she carefully climbed them, one after the other, until she was right next to the window. She looked in and noticed that it was his room.

Uchiha-kun was sitting cross legged on the wooden floor, facing the window and with his eyes closed. He was perfectly still and a look of concentration was present on his visage.

Yuno wondered what he was doing, but then she remembered something that she read in a book. It seemed that he was meditating. She found it interesting that he was practicing something like this and decided to watch him for a while.

After a few minutes of watching him, she made the critical error of shifting on the branch she was sitting on, when she tried to move in for an even closer look. Her feet slipped from the branch and she found herself plummeting towards the ground. She cried out in surprise and braced for the eventual impact. However, it never came. The only thing that she felt was a tugging sensation on her arm and when she looked up, she saw something that left her quite confused. She was holding onto an oddly shaped branch that somewhat resembled a badly sculpted hand. From the looks of it, that seemed to have been what stopped her fall right before she hit he ground.

She loosened her grip on the weird shaped branch and landed safely onto the ground. _'Eh? What just happened? I was pretty sure that I would have ended up in a heap on the ground...'_ Yuno racked her brains, trying to come up with an explanation for what had just occurred. _'Maybe I grabbed onto it while I was falling. Yes, that must be it. There's no other explanation'_ she decided to go with that and returned back to where she left her tools and food, intending to rest for a while.

However, what she failed to notice, because she was quite busy plummeting to the ground from a tree, was the silver haired young man, who was still sitting cross legged, but had his hands brought together with the fingers interlocked. He stood like that until she safely reached the ground. When that happened, he resumed his mediation.

#######

A couple hours had passed since the tree climbing incident and Yuno was now nibbling on one of the sandwiches she had packed, all the while looking through her binoculars. She appeared to be looking in the direction of Naruto's kitchen, where he was seated at the table, eating his dinner. She kept watching like this while nibbling at her sandwich, imagining that they were eating together. She also didn't forget to write this down in her diary.

_June 11 19:30_

_Today I had dinner together with Uchiha-kun. I'm so happy!_

When he was done eating, he put the dishes in the sink, washed them and then headed out of the room. Shortly after, she saw the upstairs lights flicker on again.

Yuno looked again at the tree in the distance, but she then remembered what happened last time, so she decided against it. In the end, she was quite happy and content with what she had achieved until now. It was a lot more than she ever imagined while devising her plan for today. Overall the trip had been a success, so Yuno went back to her sleeping bag, crawled into it and typed on her phone one more entry before she let herself drift off to sleep.

_June 11 19:40_

_Uchiha-kun went back to his bedroom. He is probably getting ready for the night. Good night, Uchiha-kun!_

After several minutes, the lights in Naruto's bedroom were turned off, signifying that he had, most likely, gone to sleep aswell.

#######

**2005/06/11 20:00 [Uchiha Residence]**

Naruto was currently in the living room, looking through one of the windows that had a view towards the front yard. His gaze was focused on a particulary tall bush, behind which a rather large tree could be seen.

"It seems that the decision you took a month ago turned out to be quite the good one. She is very determined to fulfill her promise, don't you think so, Naruto-sama?" said Zetsu from his chair, his voice actually serious for once.

Naruto smiled slightly. "That she is, Zetsu" he said, his eyes still fixated on the dense shrubbery several feet in front of the window. However, a few moments later, his previous smile was replaced by an anxious expression. "But I fear the way she might react when I tell her the truth about myself. I can't keep her forever in the dark..." he continued, uneasiness creeping into his voice.

Zetsu looked at his long time friend and master in slight confusion. "Eh? I don't see what's so bad about you that she would become afraid of you."

Naruto gave out a deep sigh at Zetsu's question. He really didn't expect him to immediately figure out what the problem was, since he didn't spend every day trying to live as a normal person in this world's society. "Zetsu, what are shinobi? What is their most basic function?" the young man questioned.

This sudden question seemed to take the half-plant man a little by surprise. He appeared to be quite deep in thought, while Naruto was simply looking at him, waiting for his answer.

A few moments later, Zetsu seemed to have finally figured out what his master had been trying to say the whole time, fact indicated by the visible widening of his eyes. "Professional killers..." he muttered in dawning realization.

"Precisely" Naruto said with a nod. "At our very core, we are nothing more than assassins for hire." He paused to look at Zetsu, a frown etched into his features. "Now do you see why I'm so troubled by this? How do you think a normal fourteen year old girl will react when I reveal that to her? That I spent nearly my whole life continuously training in order to master the art of killing peo—"

He didn't get to finish speaking because he was suddenly interrupted by Zetsu, who had an annoyed look on his face. "You're an idiot" he simply stated, and then immediately continued, before his master could say anything in objection. "While it's true that she might not be exactly thrilled by your choice of a career, it's also true that if she actually has any feelings for you, then she will understand. So stop overthinking this, because I'm certainly not going to just sit by and watch you start brooding like that Emo King of Konoha."

It looked like Zetsu's previous words had the intended effect of snapping Naruto out of his somber thoughts. The young man was really thankful for having Zetsu with him in moments like these, because his long time friend always knew how to bring him back to reality if he ever started going down the dangerous path of brooding. Despite his valiant efforts in avoiding that precarious road, there were times when he would find himself unwittingly walking down on it. _'For all the benefits the sharingan brings to our clan, they are all offset by this genetic predisposition to chronic brooding that seems to have been plaguing every Uchiha in history...'_

"Oi, Emo Prince, are you alright now?" came the voice of Zetsu, who was currently looking curiously at the bemused face of his master.

Naruto's eyebrow began twitching when he heard the nickname Zetsu gave him. "Yes, Zetsu, I'm fine now" he voiced a few moments after.

"Good"

Following Zetsu's reply, Naruto spoke once more. "Thank you, Zetsu."

"Anytime" Zetsu responded cheerfully, before he quickly added. "Emo Prince."

A vein bulged on Naruto's temple. It looked like he wasn't very happy with his newly acquired nickname. "Why you!?" His words, however, fell on deaf ears, because Zetsu was already out of sight, the only indication of his previous presence being the fading cackles that could be heard in the distance.

_**Chapter End**_

**Fun fact: The idea for the house scene came to me after listening to a song called "Stalker" by Goldfinger. It's quite hilarious when you listen to it and compare some of the lyrics with how Yuno acts during several scenes of the anime.**

**Another song that fits Yuno's behavior rather nicely is "Poison" by Groove Coverage. Just give it a try and you'll quickly see the parallels.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Mirai Nikki/Future Diary, nor do I own any other materials used in this story aside from my own ideas.**

**Once again I would like to thank everyone who read, followed, favorited and reviewed this. I'm really glad that you enjoyed the story so far.**

**Now for the review response section, I'll reply to those who I couldn't send a PM due to not being logged in, or not having an account.**

**Guest no.1 & Guest no.2: I'm glad that you liked the story.**

**RAGNAROK: Thank you for sharing that interesting fact.**

**Well, that's all. Oh, and before we get to the chapter, there's one more thing that I'd like to mention. It's about Naruto's sister, Kiyomi. I've noticed some of you suggesting the idea of reuniting her with her brother, however, after giving it some deep thought, I really couldn't see it working. Kiyomi is basically the female version of canon Naruto, and no matter how I look at it, I can't find any reason for why she would abandon her village/friends/whatever she's got running there in Konoha, just so that she could go be with her brother that she didn't even know of until the very end of the war.**

**Also, don't hesitate to leave a PM if you have any questions regarding this chapter.**

**And another thing, I've changed some parts of the scene where Naruto eats the chakra fruit in the Prologue, so that it better showcases his change. When I first wrote it, I didn't have some facts straight, so I ended up doing a rather poor job with the overall explanation, but I've spent a fair amount of time doing more research to cover the things I missed. Hopefully, it's a little better now.**

**Alright, that's everything for now, so enjoy the newest chapter of Unforeseen Future.**

#######

**Chapter 3: Halcyon Days**

**2005/08/10 [Unknown Location]**

Among the many mountain ranges that composed the rather distinctive landscape, one of them stood out slightly more than the others. This particular mountain didn't seem to have any other striking characteristics, except for its larger height in comparison to its many similar neighbors.

At the base of this larger than usual mountain, there could be seen what appeared to be an entrance of sorts that was carved into the rock. From afar, it could be overlooked for simply being something of natural origins, such as a cave or a tunnel system that was created over the time, under the influence of the many external factors that at some point altered any landscape.

However, upon a closer look, one could notice that this opening into the side of the mountain appeared to be carved rather precisely for something that should have come to be over the passing of time. Also, the fact that there appeared to be light coming from the deep recesses of said cave, further added to the belief that someone surely dwelled within that place.

#######

Naruto was currently seated at a desk, in a room that could bestly be described as a huge library, with rows upon rows of bookshelves, some of which housed books, while the others were simply empty.

Other than the many rows of bookshelves, there didn't seem to be any other particularly distinctive feature that could be attributed to this rather large sized chamber, except for the fact that its walls appeared to be carved from stone with an almost perfect precision.

Atop the silver haired young man's desk, two neatly organized piles of several books on various medical sciences could be seen. To the young man's left was located the smaller of the piles, while on his right, the bigger one resided.

Naruto suddenly closed the book he had been reading from until now and placed it atop the pile of presumably already read books that was on the right side of the desk. "This world's medical field is definitely much more advanced than what could be found in the Elemental Nations."

He didn't look surprised when he received a reply to his previous statement. "That is very true indeed. The information on medical sciences is very abundant in this world. But I think it shouldn't be too much of a surprise, considering that the people of this world had to somehow compensate for their lack of chakra."

Naruto looked to his left and noticed that one of his Wood Clones also seemed to have finished reading its current book and was preparing to retrieve another one from the neat pile located on its desk.

There were a total of three Wood Clones residing within the library, each having its own desk with several books of similar content as their creator, however, the other two seemed to be concentrating on their task at hand.

"Alright, I shall be going for now" Naruto informed his Wood Clones, receiving a "Very well" in reply from each of them.

The young man then stood up from his chair and headed toward the exit of the library, entering a hallway of sorts with no visible end from his current position.

Instead of simply teleporting out of this place, Naruto chose to walk for a while and contemplate on the topic of his most recent activities that took place in the past two months.

At first, he had been rather fond of the idea of going to school, finding this concept quite interesting and very useful for spreading knowledge to other people, but as of two months ago, he had begun to slowly lose his interest in it. The main cause for this could be attributed to the fact that most of the subjects taught to the class he was part of were simply of no use to him. Sure, there were some useful and interesting ones such as science, mathematics, English and art, but the pace at which those were being taught was rather slow for him. So in the end, he decided to take on a different approach, opting for individual studying and only going for the subjects that interested him such as the various medical sciences that he wanted to learn more about.

However, despite his lack of interest for attending the school itself because of the simple fact that it had become dull, there was still something, or rather someone for whom he was willing to continue doing it.

The person in cause was none other than Gasai Yuno, his cute pink haired stalker and possible future wife. From the day when he had firstly spoken to her, when she had also made a rather bold promise to him, this girl had been constantly observing him from afar while at school and then following him on his way home. She seemed to be so happy whenever she saw him that he just couldn't bring himself to deny her this.

Despite Yuno's activities involving him coming off as something rather creepy and weird, Naruto couldn't really find anything wrong with her behavior. If anything, he was rather impressed by her determination and ambition when it came to pursuing her own goals and dreams, which in this case were marrying him in the future.

For Naruto, people who exhibited those qualities were truly worth being admired, because in his eyes, such traits were invaluable. Since he had been nothing but a child, Naruto was taught by his grandfather that the only way for one to achieve his desired goals, was to relentlessly pursue them while being driven by unwavering determination and ambition. To him, only those who followed this creed could hope to someday reach their future goals and dreams.

So when the young man saw Yuno follow him each and every day, for the sole purpose of furthering her future dream of becoming his wife, he couldn't help but admire her determination.

He didn't know what drove her on that fateful day to make that promise to him, but he was glad that she did it. He was also glad that he had accepted her proposal, because the more time passed, the more he realized the similitudes between them.

The first one he had noticed, and probably the one that made him accept in the first place, was the deeply hidden suffering that was reflecting in her eyes on that day. When their eyes firstly met on that day, his mind inadvertedly recalled a memory that briefly brought back the very same feelings into his heart.

That had been the first thread that bound their destinies together, leading to them intertwining over the course of time, until a completely new future was woven between them.

The second one was something that he had realized over the course of time. Since the next day that followed their discussion, Yuno had been constantly showing him the extent of her ambition and determination that were fueling her actions. That was something Naruto had found truly admirable, and he couldn't help but slowly begin to develop genuine feelings for this young girl.

The silver haired young man was pulled out of his thoughts when he found himself at the other end of the rather long hallway that he had been previously crossing.

The room he now found himself in was much smaller than the library, but it was still rather large. If he were to compare it to anything, then he would say that this chamber was as spacious as two of his living rooms put together.

Naruto's attention was brought over to the group of three Wood Clones that were sitting cross legged in a triangle formation in the middle of the room. They seemed to be concentrating quite deeply on what they were doing, since it looked like they didn't even acknowledge the presence of their creator. The clones were meditating with their eyes closed and their hands in the reverse-ram seal while their Rinne-Sharingan was active and glowing ominously.

These Wood Clones had orders from Naruto to conduct a special task. They had been created in order to devise a way that would allow their creator to better utilize his newest interdimensional traveling method, without having to pick a random dimension and then just hope for the best.

The task they had been given had two objectives that needed to be completed. Firstly, the clones had to study the two techniques that their master had used together when he crossed dimensions and then create a new technique that worked on the same principle, while also being superior to its predecessor. And secondly, they would have to test this newly created technique and make sure that it worked as intended. This part required them to search for another dimension and temporarily establish a link between it and the Rinne-Sharingan, in order for the technique to be able to open a portal to that world.

Until now, the trio of clones had been successful in accomplishing the first part of their task and were currently working on the second part of it. They were using the newly created kekkei mōra that they had named **Amenoendaiseki (Heavenly Far-Reaching Gate)** to reach and synchronize with a dimension that they had previously chosen for testing the technique.

The advantage of using this technique was that you could search for the dimension of your picking and after establishing a link to it, you could then 'inspect' it and choose exactly where you wanted to create the exit portal.

That was exactly what the clones were currently attempting. They had already linked their Rinne-Sharingan to another dimension and now were simply searching through it for a good place to open a portal and test if the technique worked properly.

Not wanting to accidentally disturb the clones who were in such deep focus, Naruto decided to leave. He walked to the other end of the room and entered another much shorter hallway that led directly outside.

When he exited his newest base of operations, Naruto was welcomed by the sight of numerous mountain ranges that composed the entirety of the surrounding landscape.

The place that the young man currently found himself in was the core dimension of one of his kekkei mōra, Amenominaka, that became available when he had awakened the Rinne-Sharingan.

It was around one month ago when Naruto decided to finally check out those six special dimensions that could be accessed through the use of Amenominaka and set to explore them.

The first one that he had went to was a lava-filled expanse of land with a large volcano that towered over everything else. While not appearing to be very hospitable, Naruto had to admit that it was a good place to drop your eventual enemies in and simply watch them slowly melt away.

The second dimension was exactly the opposite, an icy realm composed of frozen canyons and mountains. While being only a little more hospitable than its predecessor, it still wasn't a place where you would wish to end up, especially when upon arriving, you would almost instantly turn into a block of ice.

The third one was rather bland, being only a vast desert full of sand dunes. Despite this dimension being very hot due to its climate, it was still a dull place to drop someone into. No matter how you looked at it, watching your enemies die of dehydration and intense sun exposure wasn't very exciting, just like the dimension itself.

The fourth one had more potential than its predecessor, but still didn't quite compare to the first two. Or maybe he just didn't find an endless sea of acid all that interesting.

The fifth dimension was somewhere in between the first two and the others in terms of appeal and potential. Its terrain was pyramid-shaped, making for quite the odd sight, but the real kicker was the massive gravity force that was strong enough to impair even his movements if he wasn't using a decent amount of chakra to counter this effect.

The sixth and last dimension was the one he currently resided into, the core dimension, which linked all the other dimensions together. Despite not having any negative status effects, this one was his favorite for the simple fact that it greatly accelerated any recovering process, whether it was chakra or healing, effectively making this dimension the best place where he could have a fight with a definitive upper hand over the enemy.

Even though Naruto had found some of these dimensions rather lacking, he took solace in the fact that he was able to instantly rewrite all aspects of the dimension that he found himself in, albeit with a rather pricy chakra cost. But that really wasn't a problem for him now that he had become the very origin of chakra. Even if he decided to screw around and repeatedly alter the dimension, it would still take a while until he would begin to actually feel the drain on his reserves.

This was how the young man created his newest base of operations within the heart of the large mountain that he had just exited. He decided that he needed some sort of headquarters that would be easily accessible to him while not accessible at all to any potential enemies, so he went and set it up in the safest place that he could think of, the Amenominaka core dimension.

When he was done hollowing out the required space in the mountain, he started designing the chambers that would compose his hidden headquarters.

He created a huge library to store any books related to the subjects that he was studying along with his clones, a spacious enough room required for meditation which was currently being used by the trio of clones, the various utility rooms that were also present back at his home, and a laboratory for when he decided to conduct any experiments.

When he seemed to be done with his musings, Naruto channeled chakra to his third eye that opened, revealing the eerie looking Rinne-Sharingan. He then promptly vanished from the core dimension, most likely heading home to swap back places with the Wood Clone that he had left to act in his stead while he was busy being somewhere else.

#######

**2005/08/10 16:00 [Uchiha Residence]**

Naruto exited the portal and was welcomed by the sight of his room. He focused for a moment, searching for his Wood Clone and when he located it in the backyard he left the room, heading toward its position.

On his way there, he quickly went through the clone's recent memories, noting that nothing special happened while he had been busy in the core dimension. But it was to be expected, since for the past three weeks, it didn't even have to attend school. There was what he had found out to be called as the 'summer holiday', which seemed to have begun a few days after he had left. And there appeared to be three more weeks left until it would end, thus leading to the resuming of school activities.

When he eventually arrived in the room that led to the backyard, the silver haired young man looked over the window and saw his clone tending to the many species of bonsai that were part of Zetsu's collection along with said individual, who seemed to be enjoying this activity quite a lot. He quickly focused on the life signatures around the perimeter of his house, searching for a certain pink haired person, and when he didn't sense her in the vicinity, he promptly entered the backyard.

"I see that you two are having quite the fun there."

Naruto's amused voice alerted the other two occupants of the yard to the new presence that had just made itself known.

"Welcome back, original." It seemed that the Wood Clone was the first to react to the new presence and after seeing who it was, it properly greeted its creator.

"Oh, hey there, Naruto-sama" followed Zetsu a moment later.

While the clone immediately ceased its previous actions and promptly dispelled, Zetsu was still diligently tending to the small exotic-looking tree that had several branches which required some trimming.

Seeing that his clone had conveniently bailed out of its current predicament, Naruto decided to help Zetsu with the gardening, since it would serve as a good activity to relax a little after all the studying he had been doing during the previous weeks. He would still have to meditate later for a while, in order to sort all of the information that his clones back in the core dimension were constantly feeding into his mind, but right now he felt that spending some time gardening along with his long time friend would be just as good.

Naruto moved until he was standing in front of a bonsai that was right next to the one Zetsu was currently tending to and picked up the pair of clippers his clone had previously discarded, using them to carefully trim any stray branches that he saw.

Despite having the possibility to do this by simply using his chakra to reshape the structure of the tree, Naruto simply chose not to, because it would go against the whole point of what he was trying to do, which was spending some time relaxing with his friend.

#######

**2005/09/1 08:15 [Sakurami Middle School]**

The holiday ended as fast as it began, and Naruto once again found himself returning to attending school. He decided to come to school personally for now, since he had left his clones back in the core dimension to continue with studying the various topics that he was interested in.

He had been very fascinated by how developed this world's medicine along with its many branches were in comparison to his own, and having a much more detailed knowledge about what composed the human body could definitely be helpful in many situations.

Sure, he could probably do mostly anything with his chakra and imagination alone, without really understanding the concepts behind what he was doing. However, if he actually had the knowledge to aid him, then it would enable him to truly do absolutely anything.

For example, he could very well create a human body just by using Yin-Yang release to form shape out of nothing and then breathe life into it with nothing but a thought and his chakra. But if he ever wanted to do something more subtle, like altering said body's characteristics during its creation by directly manipulating the genetic code, then having knowledge on molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry would be very useful.

So instead of going with the trial and error method, it would be more preferable and efficient to simply act with precision exactly where it was required, without having to worry about any possible failures.

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when he found himself in front of the school gate, which he promptly went through, heading toward his classroom.

#######

Despite her initial predicament, the last few months had been quite enjoyable for Yuno. The reason? None other than Uchiha-kun, the person who she loved more than anything else.

He was the one who gave her a reason to live when she was practically dead in everything but body. The one who gave her a future when she had none. The one who gave her hope when she was drowning in despair. How could she not love someone who gave her so much without asking for anything in return?

These were the thoughts that were currently going through the pink haired girl's mind as she was stealthily observing the person whose wife she would become one day into the future.

She was hidden in an alley with her head halfway peeking over its corner while her eyes were carefully trailing the silver haired young man's form that was moving along the sidewalk.

_'Uchiha-kun...' _she thought happily with a huge smile gracing her features. _'I want to grow up fast... because... when I grow up... I'll finally be able to marry Uchiha-kun.'_

This was her sole dream for the future. One that has been given to her when she had nothing else. A beacon of light in the darkness that was her world before she met Uchiha-kun, the one who became her hope in life.

When Yuno noticed that Uchiha-kun was getting farther away, his form slowly fading into the distance, she quickly went around the corner and started following him once more, thinking again about the day when she would eventually become his little bride.

#######

**2005/09/1 18:00 [Gasai Residence]**

Yuno was currently in her room, standing on her bed and sorting through her collection of tools that she used to keep a close eye on her Uchiha-kun. Right now, she was reading the instructions manual that came with the telescope she had just bought earlier that day.

After she was done observing Uchiha-kun for the day, she headed back home and took some of her mother's jewelry, intending to bring them to a pawn shop. There were two reasons for why she had to do that.

Firstly, she had to get more money in order to be able to buy the daily necessities such as water and food, because even if she was only using the minimum required to survive, she still couldn't live only with whatever money were left in her parent's wallets. Eventually, those began to dwindle, and she had to come up with an alternative. And that alternative was to pawn some of her parent's belongings.

And secondly, she wanted to expand her current inventory of 'observing tools' that she had been using to keep an eye on Uchiha-kun, reason which brings us to the situation at hand.

Yuno was carefully reading the instructions which described the proper way of assembling her newly bought telescope, making sure that she first understood everything that had to be done, before she actually started to assemble her most recently acquisitioned tool.

When she seemed to be done reading the manual, Yuno started checking if all the sub-assemblies and components were present according to the list in the instructions. Then she carefully placed the components into a large cream-colored duffel bag, picked it up and headed to the place where she would be assembling her newest spying tool.

#######

**2005/09/1 19:20 [Abandoned Building]**

It took Yuno around half an hour to get to the designated place, and now she was currently residing in a building that was still in construction, but seemed to have been abandoned for unknown reasons.

She had chosen this particular building because from its top-most floor, one could have a great view directly to Uchiha-kun's house, provided that the required equipment to see at such a long distance was present.

Yuno carefully laid the cream-colored duffel bag on the floor and proceeded to extract each and every of the components that would be required to assemble her telescope.

Following that, she then began assembling it, exactly as the instruction book had mentioned. She first set up the tripod stand, after which she used the compass that came with the other parts to identify north, turned the stand until it was relatively facing north, and then moved onto assembling the rest of the telescope.

By the time she was done, her cellphone indicated that it was already 20:00. She quickly gave a try to the newly assembled telescope and was pleased when it worked perfectly, giving her a clear view of the front of Uchiha-kun's house, where the window to his room was located.

Yuno smiled happily and then left the abandoned building, heading toward her home to rest after a very productive day, all the while thinking about how much fun she would be having in the future with her newest tool while watching over her Uchiha-kun.

#######

**2005/09/8 16:00 [Uchiha Residence]**

The sound of a soft _click_ signaled the closing of the front door after Naruto entered the house. He discarded his footwear and headed to the living room, looking a little surprised when he didn't see Zetsu sitting on the sofa and watching television as the plant-like man usually did.

_'He's not in the backyard either...'_ Naruto thought while looking over one of the windows in the room that had a view to the backyard. It was a rather strange occurrence for Zetsu to not be either watching TV or tending to his garden.

Suddenly, a noise drawed the silver haired young man's attention. It seemed to be coming from the kitchen, and now that Naruto was getting closer, he could tell that it sounded like someone was chopping something.

When Naruto got to the kitchen, he was welcomed by a rather unique sight. Zetsu—who was wearing a white apron over his usual attire—had a bloody cleaver in his right hand and was currently using it to skillfully dismember the unclothed body of a middle aged male.

Upon a closer inspection, Naruto noticed the presence of a gunshot wound in the middle of the man's forehead, which was most likely the reason for his death. Another thing Naruto noticed was the fact that the man seemed to have died recently, because his body was still in the early stages of rigor mortis.

_'At least he didn't steal from the morgue again...'_ That had been a problem in the past. It took a few months for his cannibal friend to finally understand that the morgue wasn't an all you can eat buffet. _'I wonder where he found a corpse this time...'_ Naruto knew that the plant-like man got the corpse from somewhere, because death by gunshot certainly wasn't one of his modus operandi. He had chakra for a reason after all.

"Hello, Zetsu" Naruto calmly greeted.

The plant-like man stopped from his current activity when he heard his master's voice and turned to greet him. "Oh, welcome back, Naruto-sama!" Then he promptly returned to his chopping while humming a cheerful tune.

The silver haired young man shook his head in amusement at his friend's antics and spoke once more. "So Zetsu, where did you get a corpse this time? And I thought that you usually ate them whole. What's with the sudden change?"

Zetsu grinned and replied as he was in the process of decapitating the corpse lying on the large kitchen table. "Well, you see, I was walking home from a visit to the gardening shop and when I passed by this really dark and suspicious alley, I heard a loud _bang_, so I decided to go and check out what happened. However, when I got there, the only thing that I found was this guy" Zetsu motioned to the limbless and now also headless body on the table, before he continued. "As for the reason why I'm currently doing this, well, yesterday I've seen this documentary about how a tribe of cannibals prepared their food, and it was pretty interesting. So I decided to try something similar and see if it's possible to make people taste better while also keeping their juiciness and flavor."

_'Leave it to Zetsu to accidentally stumble upon a crime scene and have the only evidence as dinner...'_ But it was still better than stealing from the morgue. Naruto lost count of how many times he had to _persuade_ that old janitor who always somehow spotted Zetsu whenever he was smuggling a corpse.

"I see..." Naruto replied before he noticed something, besides the dead body on the table, that wasn't in the kitchen when he left in the morning. "So you bought another fridge?" There was indeed a second fridge in the kitchen, however, this one was green as opposed to the white one next to it. Also, there was something written on it in capital bold letters. It read **"HUMAN FOOD"**.

"Yup" Zetsu said cheerfully. "Do you like the color? I think it's called olive green."

"It's not a bad color" Naruto responded truthfully. "Anyway, I'll let you finish your cooking. Just make sure to clean after your done, alright?"

"Sure thing, Naruto-sama" the green haired cannibal replied while slicing open the dead body and proceeding to remove its entrails. It looked like he planned to use those for something aswell, however, Naruto would not stay to find out exactly what the plant-like man was going to do, because there were some other things that he had to get done, and it was already starting to get late.

Moments later, the young man exited the kitchen, leaving Zetsu to his own devices, and headed to the backyard to begin his afternoon training.

#######

**[Cathedral of Causality — Deus' Realm]**

Murmur was happily spending her time reading one of her many shōjo manga when suddenly, a bright flash of light caught her attention. _'What is Deus up to this time?'_

The childlike dark-skinned girl stopped from her reading and turned around to face the other occupant of the large purple tinted dome that was the Cathedral of Causality.

"What are you doing, boss?" Murmur asked curiously, before she noticed something that she didn't recall ever seeing around here until now. On the floor, beside Deus' imposing throne, there was what looked like a teenage boy with medium-length silver hair, who appeared to be currently unconscious. His outfit consisted of a white dress shirt that was coupled with a black tie, dark blue pants and black footwear. Over his dress shirt, he also wore a jacket that was a shade lighter than his pants.

"Deus, what's with this unconscious guy on the floor?"

The God of Time and Space, who was busy operating his huge keyboard-like device, interrupted his current activity and looked at his diminutive servant. "That would be the _observer_ that I created specifically for the upcoming survival game. Since all of the twelve contestants will be capable of changing the future, I won't be able to properly gauge everything from afar. Which is why I had to create someone who will note the alterations as they occurred—an observer" Deus explained.

Murmur looked like she understood what Deus was trying to say, but before she could say anything, the God of a Time and Space spoke once more. "But that's not the sole reason for why I did this."

"Let me guess, it's something that has to do with Naruto being a participant in your game."

Deus smirked. "Exactly, Murmur. Naruto is the one who will have the biggest impact on the flow of causalities during this game, so I had to make sure that there existed a way of closely monitoring these changes he would be causing."

"But that's not everything, is it Deus?" Murmur asked with a knowing grin. She had been around her boss for a really long time and she knew him all too well. So when she noticed the mischievous glint in his coal black eyes, she was certain that there was something more to this than what he had revealed so far.

Deus gave a deep chuckle at this. "Indeed. There is another reason behind the creation of this observer, besides his rather obvious role" he began. "I also wished to play a little prank on our dear dimension traveler. You see, when I created this observer, I might have tweaked his personality a little, making him lean in a certain way that would both benefit his designated task, and at the same time provide us a good measure of entertainment."

Murmur's grin broadened when she heard the last part. "Oh, do tell" she urged.

Deus response was to mirror his servant's grin and then begin explaining exactly what he meant when he said that he _tweaked_ a few things about this observer's personality.

#######

**2005/09/15 17:00 [Uchiha Residence]**

Naruto was currently meditating in the backyard when suddenly, he felt a cold chill crawl down his spine. He paused from his mental and spiritual activity and tried to figure out what was that almost foreboding feeling that he had just experienced.

Unfortunately, he couldn't come up with anything that would explain that strange feeling, so he resumed his previous meditation, with a single thought running through his mind. _'That was definitely not a good sign...'_

#######

By the time Naruto was done with his afternoon training, his phone's digital clock indicated that it was already 19:00. He pocketed the small black colored device and headed toward the house to take a quick shower before he had dinner.

Naruto was currently enjoying a cup of steaming hot herbal tea when suddenly, one of the wood clones that were stationed at the base of operations in the core dimension contacted him through their mental link.

_'Oh? They discovered something unusual?'_ the silver haired young man thought with growing curiosity.

From the moment Naruto had merged with the Jūbi and Shinju, a process catalysed by the unique chakra of the forbidden fruit, he noticed a change in his wood clones. It appeared that now, upon creation, besides receiving a copy of their creator's personality and thought processes, they also possessed the ability to further evolve with time.

This process gave the clones the possibility to develop their own unique personalities which could sometimes differ slightly or almost completely from the original's.

Such was the case of the three wood clones that had been tasked with developing and then testing a technique that could enable their creator to better travel between universes. The first part had already been completed a couple months ago, while the testing part had only recently been finished.

Sometime during the past month, the clones had successfully opened a stable gateway to another universe through the use of this technique that they had named **Amenoendaiseki (Heavenly Far-Reaching Gate)** and also made sure that it worked properly by entering said portal and then returning without any problem whatsoever.

From the information that one of the clones relayed back to him, it seemed that they had made an interesting discovery. Apparently, one of those three wood clones had enjoyed testing this new space-time technique so much that it decided to continue using it and search through the infinite amount of other universes for any sentient life forms. And when he presented this idea to the other two clones, they decided to join in and help because they too found this idea to be quite intriguing.

Naruto finished the rest of his tea in one gulp and let out a sigh of contentment. _'Alright, time to go check up on those three and see what exactly that they had discovered.'_

Following that, Naruto channelled chakra to his Rinne-Sharingan and instantly vanished into thin air, as if he hadn't even been there to begin with.

#######

**[Amenominaka Core Dimension]**

Naruto appeared in the main hall of the base and headed toward the room where the trio of clones were located.

When he entered the room, he noticed two of the wood clones meditating, while the third one seemed to be waiting for something, which most likely was his arrival.

"So what is it that you discovered?" Naruto asked the clone that was currently seated at a desk and writing in a notebook, probably noting down its current discoveries.

The clone interrupted its current activity and turned to look at its creator, speaking in an even tone. "It would be better and easier if you viewed the memories yourself, original."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this and approached the now standing wood clone, placing his left hand on its shoulder. Soon after, a flood of memories rushed to his mind, prompting him to take a couple minutes in order to fully integrate the newly acquired information.

When he was done absorbing the memories he had received from the clone, Naruto was quite surprised by its findings. _'This is indeed fascinating... a world filled with various female humanoid creatures that seem to live in symbiosis with the male human population. And also, there seems to be some kind of energy at work that is a very important constant in this symbiotic relationship between those different species...'_

The silver haired young man appeared to be pondering something for a few moments, before he spoke, adressing the wood clone that was currently looking at him, most likely awaiting for his reply. "This is quite the fascinating discovery, and I think that I shall be personally visiting this world, even if only briefly, so I can witness what it has to offer firsthand."

With that Naruto began channeling chakra to his Rinne-Sharingan, preparing for transporting himself to this newly discovered world. "When I return, you have my approval to continue with your research involving interdimensional travel as you deem fit, as long as you do not attempt anything stupid."

Following that, the air before Naruto appeared to split open, revealing an inky black permeating darkness. The silver haired young man then proceeded to walked inside the dark void, hearing a faint "Understood, original" coming from the wood clone as the fabric of space closed behind him.

#######

**[Unknown Location]**

Naruto stepped out of the tear in the fabric of space that promptly closed behind him and inspected his surroundings.

Lush vegetation welcomed his sight everywhere he looked, a sight which contrasted beautifully with the brilliant light of he sun that passed through the dense forest, illuminating the ashen earth beneath the vibrant green shrubbery.

He immediately noticed the foreign energy that seemed to be saturating everything around himself, including the air, soil and vegetation.

_'This is definitely not natural energy...'_ the silver haired young man thought, carefully analyzing this unknown energy. _'Yet it feels somewhat similar... I'd even go as far as saying it resembles normal chakra to some degree, but the potency is quite inferior in comparison to it. Chakra is much more dense than this energy and much more potent, however, this energy seems capable to somehow change its nature and adapt to whatever being tries to absorb it.'_

Naruto started absorbing some of this energy, trying to convert it into chakra, however, the results weren't all too impressing. It appeared that while being capable of quickly resonating with the host body, this energy's inferior potency rendered such a conversion process not worth the time and effort. The final chakra yield was simply too low to make an active conversion worthwhile.

_'Hn, such a shame. Maybe, after some more research, the clones could find some use for this energy'_ the young man mused._ 'Well then, let's see what else can be found in this place...'_

Following that, Naruto focused, extending his senses and searching for any energy signatures in the vicinity. He noted that there seemed to be several of those various species of humanoid creatures present in this forest, but among all of those, one type slightly stood out to him.

_'Mokuton chakra?'_ he thought with a minor amount of surprise. However, upon a more thorough inspection he noticed that while appearing at first similar to mokuton chakra, in reality this energy was not exactly the same thing. _'Hmm... this energy is similar to what can be felt from anything that has been created through the use of mokuton.'_

Curiosity getting the better of him, Naruto found himself heading toward the nearest place where he felt this energy signature.

He decided to simply walk to the destination because he enjoyed the feeling of tranquility this forest brought to his mind and wanted to spend some time savoring it.

#######

After several minutes of walking through the dense forest, Naruto noticed that something or someone who possessed quite the amount of this foreign energy had been following him for the better part of his little stroll.

Not being very pressed by time, the silver haired young man decided to indulge a little whoever or whatever had been following him, so he stopped moving and turned around to look in the direction where he had sensed this unfamiliar presence.

"I know that you are hiding in there, so why don't you show yourself and tell me for what reason you had been following me this entire time?" Naruto asked calmly, his eyes focused on a rather large tree that was surrounded by dense shrubbery.

After a few moments, the silver haired young man heard a sultry voice, coming from within the thick foliage, that was definitely feminine reply to him. "My, my, aren't you such a perceptive young man?"

Naruto continued staring at the spot where the voice had come from, noticing the shrubbery being brushed away, until the one who had been following him finally made its appearance.

The first thing he noticed was that his pursuer definitely wasn't human, not with the seven gold colored tails that were swishing behind her. The next thing that registered within his mind was the absurdly good looking figure this female individual possessed. With two bangs of her bright gold hair framing her beautiful face, while the rest cascaded down her back, stopping only a few inches past her shoulders, and with twin amethyst eyes that reflected unrestrained lust, she could probably enthrall any lesser man. With her voluptuous body and exposed thighs she could probably make most men drool at the mere sight of her heavenly looking figure.

However, Naruto was no such man. He didn't let himself fall prey to her female charms and simply looked with a slightly raised eyebrow at the blonde temptress who was clad in a burnt orange cheongsam decorated with leaf and vine motifs that had a golden outline.

_'Well, at least the psychical torture grandfather put me through at that time wasn't in vain...'_ the young man thought, shuddering internally at the still vivid memories of that _incident_.

His attention was brought to her long, enticing legs and then to her feet that were clad in dark green colored sandals when she slowly started walking toward his position. He then looked upwards when he heard the soft chime coming from the two bells that were clinging to her golden colored silky hair.

"You still haven't answered my question" Naruto spoke in the same calm tone as the first time, however, if one listened carefully, he could probably notice the dangerous edge that faintly resonated within his voice now.

When the blonde vixen heard him, she gave a lascivious smile and replied, her voice perfectly matching her lustful look. "Oh, I am so going to enjoy taking you all for myself."

Naruto's eyes narrowed when he heard her remark. For some reason, what she had just said annoyed him. It took him several moments, but he eventually realized why he felt like that when he heard this woman voice her claim on him so lewdly.

By the time the silver haired young man finally spoke, the blonde vixen was only a couple feet away from him, and the expression on her face was starting to become even more lustful with each passing moment.

"If that is the reason why you followed me, then you won't have any luck with this, for I'm already taken." he replied evenly, his thoughts wandering once again to the bold promise that a certain cotton candy haired girl made to him several months ago.

Naruto let an almost imperceptible smirk settle on his lips when he saw the expression of anger that momentarily flashed across her features, before it was quickly replaced by another lascivious smile which this time also had a predatory undertone to it.

"It doesn't matter, for after I'm done with you, there will be nothing else occupying your mind other than me and the pleasure that I'm going to make you feel" the golden haired female stated with a seductive voice, her hands already reaching to grab onto her _prey_.

However, when she was only a few inches apart from getting hold of the silver haired young man, her hands were abruptly caught, and in one swift move, she found herself pinned to the ground by him.

It took her mind a few moments to process what had just transpired. And even then, she couldn't fully wrap her mind around this happening. Her, a seven tailed yōko, was overpowered and then restrained by this young man? Such a thing was unfathomable! And yet, here she was, pinned to the grass covered soil, unable to comprehend how this mysterious human achieved such a feat.

Her musings were interrupted when she heard him speak, his calm yet dangerous voice sending shivers down her spine. "Normally, I dislike having to repeat myself, but this time I'll make an exception, so consider yourself fortunate." He leveled her a serious look and continued. "You won't succeed in whatever you are trying to achieve, so I suggest you do yourself a favor and leave. I am really not in the mood of playing games right now."

And with that, Naruto let the blonde female free of his restraining hold and turned around, walking in the direction where he had previously sensed the eerily familiar energy signature.

However, he had only managed to take a few steps, when he felt a huge energy spike that originated from behind him.

#######

Apprehension. That was what she felt when she heard his tone earlier, however, it was soon replaced by anger while she listened to him speak in such a manner to her, as if he was chiding a misbehaving child.

Her anger flared even more when she remembered how easily he restrained her earlier, making it seem like she was some pathetic weakling of a monster. And to make matters worse, he looked like he wasn't even trying.

_'I am going to make him regret treating me like that'_ she thought enraged. _'And after I'm done breaking him, I'll make him mine."_

She quickly raised herself from the ground and glared at the moving form of the silver haired young man. She smiled devilishly and started releasing her demonic energy. If she couldn't get him using her natural charm, then she would use force instead. She would enthrall him with the help of her more esoteric _abilities_.

#######

Naruto stopped moving and gave an almost inaudible sigh. Why were things like this always happening to him? Was it so hard for people to see reason within his words, or was there some cosmic force compelling them to always choose doing things the hard way?

_'Maybe one day I'll find the answer to that question...'_ he thought, turning around and rising an eyebrow at the sight that welcomed him.

The energy this blonde female was releasing took the form of a dark purple flame-like aura that looked quite ominous, especially when coupled with the way her seven golden furred tails were swishing behind her as if they had a mind of their own.

_'Now what does this remind me of?'_ Naruto thought amusedly, before he felt something prodding at the edge of his consciousness, attempting to force its way inside his mind.

_'Hoh? Mind manipulation?'_ he thought with slight surprise._ 'Well, this is definitely something unexpected, but it makes things easier for me to deal with.'_

#######

A triumphant smirk formed on her face. Despite it being almost impossible for her to infiltrate his mind at first, after several tries, she somehow made it through his mental defenses. However, she couldn't help but think that maybe it had been actually a little too easy to break through. It was akin to pushing against a stone wall and expecting it to move, but have it suddenly flip around instead.

In the end, she chalked it up as the young man's unique way of designing his mental defenses and dropped the matter altogether. She had more important things to do than dwell on the subject of how she managed to infiltrate his mind.

When she finally reached the deepest part of his mind, she took a few moments to inspect it. The first thing she saw were trees, a lot of them. Everywhere she looked, she was surrounded by large trees and thick shrubbery.

_'This place is so beautiful and tranquil...'_ the blonde vixen thought, before she remembered the reason for her presence here. _'Alright, now to find the physical manifestation of his inner self...'_

She had to find it, so that she could subjugate it and completely enthrall the young man. But first, she needed to get a better view of her surroundings, because it was almost impossible to see anything through the dense foliage of those trees.

The golden haired yōko went near one of the taller trees and proceeded to quickly climb it, gracefully jumping from one branch to another. When she reached the top, she first made sure that she had a secure footing, not wanting to accidentally slip while surveying the surroundings, and then she looked around, searching for anything unusual.

She saw a mountainous region far away to her left that seemed to be surrounded by the forest on both sides, with the occasional clearing and river. In front of her and to the right were simply more trees that continued the forest below her.

Not seeing anything of real interest, she decided to check the other side of this large expanse of land aswell.

However, when she turned around to survey the rest of the place, she was left completely and utterly shocked by what her eyes came to witness. It was simply staggering, and she couldn't help but find herself slightly shaking in fear even though she was a few miles away from the daunting sight.

Far away in the distance, there was what looked like a tree of titanic proportions that seemed to reach the very heavens themselves. It had numerous thick branches that spread along the upper half of its massive trunk, appearing as sharp spears ready to impale whoever or whatever dared to defy its majestic presence.

However, this was not what had her scared to such a degree. No, what terrified her was the monstrosity that resided beside the gigantic tree. She couldn't even find words to describe this colossal creature that appeared to be the very embodiment of death and destruction.

Said creature had a very defined humanoid body, with large muscular arms and legs, and a cone-like structure on its back that resembled a conch. Its head looked like something you would only encounter in the worst of nightmares, sporting multiple curved spikes protruding from the scalp and jaw, a stretched open maw that gave off the impression the beast was roaring ferociously, and only a left ear and a right eye that had an odd looking pattern—a rippled sclera with a number of tomoe evenly spread on each ring.

And yet, these were not its most striking and terrifying features. No, that title was reserved for the massive tails, ten in total, that protruded from the beast's tailbone and coiled around the trunk of the gigantic tree, like a kraken that was trying to pull a sailing vessel underwater with its enormous appendages.

Next, her eyes landed on the creature's thick and muscular arms. The left one seemed to be close to its chest and forming a strange hand seal—the index and middle fingers kept straight with the others curled inwards into the palm, whereas the right one was extended toward the titanic sized trunk that was in front of it, stopping right beneath an oddly shaped object, resembling a bulbous fruit of some kind.

Upon a closer look, she noticed that on top of the beast's opened palm, a figure seemed to be standing. She probably wouldn't have been capable of making out any finer details from such a distance, if it weren't for her enhanced sight, an useful trait present in everyone that belonged to her species.

When she focused her sight on the small figure that was standing atop the creature's large palm, she couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped her mouth. That person clearly resembled the handsome young man whose mind she was currently invading, the only difference being the flowing robe he was clothed in, the pair of sharp curved horns atop his head, and the weird looking staff he was holding in his left hand. Also, he appeared to be grasping that strange looking fruit with his right hand, as if he had the intention of plucking it from the tree.

While her eyes were fixated on the perfect replica of the young man that seemed to be made entirely out of stone just like the terrifying monster with ten tails, she didn't notice when the real Naruto approached her. However, she definitely registered his presence when she heard his voice coming from her right.

"It's definitely an unique sight, isn't it?" the silver haired young man spoke while admiring the majestic looking tree and colossal ten-tailed monster.

Upon hearing him speak, she was immediately brought out of her shock induced daze. She then turned to look at him and spoke with a quaver, pointing in the direction where that _thing_ resided. "W-What i-is t-that?"

Naruto let out a deep sigh. "Since you are only one step away from fainting due to psychological shock, I'll refrain from administrating any other punishment and let you off with nothing more than a warning. Cease any other attempts at this childish game" the young man spoke calmly and when he saw her nod feebly, he continued. "As for your question, that creature represents one of the aspects that are part of my being. Before it became one with me, it was known as the Ten-Tails or the One-Eyed God, and it was the primordial god of my world." He turned his head and looked at her. "Now that I've quenched your curiosity, I suggest that you take your leave, for you never know when the beast might break out of its stone prison and start rampaging around this place."

The moment she heard that last part, all color drained from her face, leaving her white as a sheet. She wasted no other second and began apologizing to the best of her ability, hoping that this silver haired god was a merciful one. "I deeply apologize for this transgression and ask for your forgiveness, my Lord" she voiced pleadingly, assuming a dogeza position before him.

_'Maybe I went a little overboard with this...'_ the young man mused, eyeing the golden haired woman's prostrated form before he quickly replied. "Rise, you are forgiven."

She instantly obeyed his command and rised off the ground, giving a deep bow and then promptly shimmering out of existence.

#######

When she felt her consciousness return to her body, she didn't know how to get as fast as possible away from the silver haired god who was sitting a few feet in front of her, cross-legged and with his eyes closed. For a moment, she had thought that he might end her as punishment for her transgressions, and was so relieved when he seemed to accept her apologies. She was incredibly grateful for the mercy that he had shown by forgiving her and would make sure that she returned this forgivingness tenfold. But first, she would have to think of a proper way to repay her huge debt to this merciful god.

#######

Naruto spent a couple more minutes in his mindscape, before he allowed his consciousness to return to his body.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed that the golden haired woman that he might have traumatized for life was gone. _'I hope that the shock didn't leave her with any permanent scars...'_

Unfortunately, he would later find that she was indeed marked to some extent by this event, but not in a way that one would normally expect.

Naruto extended his senses once more and after he had the location of that strangely familiar energy clearly in mind, he departed, once more heading toward its location.

#######

It took Naruto ten minutes of walking at a relatively normal pace until he finally arrived at his destination. The place he found himself in now, was a small clearing that had a multitude of multicolored flowers scattered around its entirety. There also seemed to be a small pond in the middle of this flowery glade, however, what truly caught his eye was the strange yet familiar looking plant that was situated beside the crystal clear pond.

_'This looks quite similar to the flowers that are created through the __**Mokuton: Kajukai Kōrin**__ technique...'_ Naruto thought while further inspecting the rather large sized plant. It had several vines that could be seen at its base along with a small part of the upper roots that weren't fully entrenched into the soil and light red petals that were currently closed. _'The energy flowing through this flower seems to have almost the same properties as mokuton chakra. Hmm... I wonder what Zetsu would think about this...'_

His musings were interrupted when an unfamiliar scent hit his senses. It was a sweet fragrance that reminded the young man of honey. A few moments later, he identified the source of the syrupy smell as being the oversized flower that was a couple dozen feet away from him. _'Normally, I'd consider this being just the plant's natural fragrance, but with what I've seen in this odd world so far, I feel as if there's more to this scent than only its sweet smell...'_

Not even a second later, Naruto's left hand began giving off a green glow. A look of concentration settled on his features, and after a few moments he raised an eyebrow at his findings. _'Aphrodisiac and stamina enhancer?'_ he thought slightly surprised. This was an unusual occurrence, but in the end, he chalked it up as another of the oddities that seemed to be specific to this world. _'While me and Zetsu are immune to such substances, if I want to bring this specimen back home, I'll need to find a way to contain these chemicals, or otherwise we might risk having an unpleasant outbreak.'_

After a couple minutes of thinking, Naruto seemed to have come with a solution to this problem. _'A barrier with air filtering seals should be just fine.'_ A second later, he created two wood clones, one of which he sent back home to prepare the barrier and also brief Zetsu on what he would be attempting to do, while the other he ordered to return to the core dimension. Its job, besides relaying the original's findings to the others, was to inform the wood clone who discovered this odd dimension that it could begin conducting its experiments to its heart content.

Having received their orders, the wood clones promptly vanished, leaving the silver haired young man, once again, as the sole occupant of the flowery clearing.

"Alright, now to bring this back home..." Naruto muttered to himself while looking at the light red colored flower. He then lightly tapped his foot on the soil once, watching as the ground beneath the large sized plant started rising for several feet, until its roots were completely unburied.

Following that, Naruto raised his left arm with his palm facing outward and pointed it in the direction of the elevated block of soil. His eyes flashed silver, showing the distinctive rippled pattern of the Rinnegan, and then he slowly started moving his outstretched arm to the side, with the raised patch of ground following suit after it.

He lowered his arm until the block of dirt was gently placed on the ground several feet in front of himself, after which he fed chakra to his Rinne-Sharingan, instantly vanishing along with the previously secured specimen.

#######

**2005/09/15 22:00 [Uchiha Residence]**

Naruto appeared in his backyard along with the flower specimen that was quickly replanted in an unused part of the garden. He noticed that the wood clone did its job, as an invisible fūinjutsu barrier was erected around the perimeter, with Zetsu also being present, watching him with a look of interest.

When Naruto was done with the replanting, he turned to face Zetsu whose curiosity appeared to have been piqued by the recent happenings, and spoke. "Since my clone had already briefed you, let's get straight to the crux of this matter." He pointed toward the strange plant and continued. "So what do you think about it?"

Zetsu glanced in the direction of the exotic looking flower and focused, extending his sensory perception until it encompassed the strange looking plant. He carefully analyzed it for a few seconds, before he looked at Naruto and spoke, an intrigued look present on his face. "Your assumptions were very accurate, Naruto-sama. The energy present in this flower is so similar to mokuton chakra, that it brought a reaction from Hashirama's cells that are present in my body."

Naruto slightly raised an eyebrow at that. For the cells of Senju Hashirama to react to this plant's particular energy meant that there was indeed a very strong resemblance between this foreign energy and mokuton chakra. And from the looks of it, Zetsu seemed to be quite eager to find out what this similitude exactly was.

The silver haired young man looked at Zetsu, who was slowly walking toward the light red colored flower and spoke, sounding slightly curious. "What do you intend to do?"

Zetsu stopped for a moment to glance back at his master and replied with a grin. "I'm curious about how this energy would react to mokuton chakra, so I plan to infuse some into the flower and see what happens."

Naruto continued to stare at his half-plant friend while contemplating his previous words. He didn't know why, but Zetsu's idea brought him forth a slight feeling of uneasiness. He thought that it might have been wiser to further analyze that strange plant before attempting to tamper with it in any shape or form, however, now it was a little too late for that because once Zetsu set his mind to something, he wouldn't let go until he was through with it.

A sudden surge of chakra brought Naruto out of his musings. He looked again in the direction where the exotic looking flower was planted and noticed that Zetsu had his palms placed on its light red petals, channeling quite the decent amount of mokuton chakra though them.

When he appeared to be done, the plant-like man took a few steps back and inspected the large sized plant, carefully looking for any changes that might have occurred. However, his searching was interrupted when a sudden energy spike was felt from the strange looking plant that was in front of him.

#######

A feeling of blissful warmth engulfed her body. She didn't know what happened or where it came from. Until now she had been resting, trying to recover from another one of the daily merciless assaults, courtesy of those infernal honeybees, that continuously ravished her body, stealing every drop of her nectar.

However, a couple seconds ago she had been roused from her deep slumber when a sudden wave of incredible ecstasy washed over her being. At first she had thought that some human mage had found her and casted a spell on her, but she quickly dismissed the idea. The energy she had felt was not spirit energy. In fact, it would be an insult to call such a thick and potent energy spirit energy. She had tasted spirit energy before, and it couldn't even compare to how this foreign energy had felt. It was like her mind and body were slowly melting away, leaving behind only a sticky mess of ecstasy and delight.

She could feel her body flush hotly, yearning for more of this heavenly energy. An intense throbbing took root in her loins, and sweet nectar started dripping from her aching core, moistening her nether lips and then trailing down her soft thighs. The lust and desire that swelled up inside her were becoming unbearable and would eventually drive her mad if she didn't find release soon.

#######

Naruto and Zetsu both watched in curiosity and anticipation as the flower started blooming, its large light red petals slowly opening to reveal a truly unexpected sight.

In the center of the flower stood what most men would consider being a woman of unearthly beauty, clad in nothing but her birthday suit, the only exception being her two wristbands that were made out of two leaves and a small red flower each.

This stunning creature had soft pale green skin that seemed to be quite flushed, amethysts colored eyes that reflected barely contained lust, and lime colored hair that reached her shoulders, with short bangs that framed her beautiful face, and two longer locks of hair that cascaded down her voluptuous breasts.

When the blossoming flower fully opened, revealing pale green skin that belonged to a pair of enticing thighs, one after another, its light red petals began to wither and fall, until twin long and slender legs covered in caramel colored nectar were completely exposed.

The pale green skinned beauty appeared to be visibly shocked by the most recent development, however, she managed to recover rather quickly and stepped out of the plant's remains, taking a few shaky steps toward Zetsu, who had a disturbing grin plastered on his face.

_'I shouldn't even be surprised by this. After all, it's Zetsu who we are talking about, so anything unexpected and weird is possible...'_ Naruto contemplated while looking at Zetsu. _'At least now I know what was with that weird feeling from before... I guess that after all these years of living with Zetsu I've developed some sort of sixth sense for occurrences such as this...'_

His musings were soon interrupted by Zetsu, who looked like Christmas came early when he spoke. "Ooh~ Naruto-sama, this is exactly what I wanted for my birthday. How did you know?"

Naruto sighed, wondering why things like this happened to him so often. He really missed those peaceful nights when all he did was spend his time silently meditating. Or when Zetsu was busy with annoying the crap out of Obito instead of him. Those were great days indeed.

It wasn't like he didn't enjoy Zetsu's company. He was his best friend since childhood while being his loyal servant at the same time. However, there were times when he could be kind of difficult, like right now, and most of those times ended with him getting a headache. Also, he had the bad feeling that this time it would be even worse, if the way that strange pale green skinned lady was grinding her pelvis into Zetsu's cloak-covered thigh. _'This must be karma for when I told Zetsu that Obito desperately wanted to be his friend, but was too shy to ask himself...'_

Naruto glanced once more at Zetsu, just in time to witness the gorgeous plant girl mouth rape his long time friend. _'And that's my cue to leave' _the silver haired young man thought, before he remembered something and spoke. "Alright, Zetsu, since you seem to be quite busy at the moment, I'll take my leave. However, before I go, I wanted to remind you something. She's your responsibility, so if she does anything stupid, it'll be your fault. Understood?" He turned around and started walking away, but stopped briefly to add a few more words. "Oh, and I suggest you continue this inside. Also, I'm not cleaning any stains from the carpet, so if you make a mess, you'd better clean after yourself."

When Zetsu heard his master's words, he quickly pulled away from the curvaceous temptress whose sole objective seemed to be to hump every inch of his body and spoke. "Wait, Naruto-sama! Before you leave, I need your help with something."

Naruto stopped walking and turned his head, looking at Zetsu with a raised eyebrow. "What is it, Zetsu?"

The plant-like man looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could utter any word, he was silenced by a pair of soft velvety lips, courtesy of the gorgeous plant lady that was latched onto him like a crawling ivy.

Naruto developed a rather visible eye twitch upon witnessing this and decided to act swiftly lest he had to witness even more of this spectacle. He quickly molded a sliver of his chakra and sent it through the soil, watching as four relatively thick roots sprouted from the ground beneath the busty plant lady and coiled themselves around each of her limbs, preventing her from moving even an inch.

The pale green skinned beauty appeared to be confused and a little shocked at first, probably because she saw someone who was human—in appearance at least—manipulate the vegetation the same way she used her former plant half, but then she remembered what usually came next after she used her vines to bind other men in the same fashion.

She gave out a soft moan and spoke seductively. "Ohh, kinky..."

This got different reactions from the two males that were present in the backyard with her.

The green haired man with the chalk white skin and her soon to be husband began laughing, while the silver haired one seemed to develop a more prominent eye twitch.

"I like her" Zetsu said in between laughs.

"Zetsu..." Naruto began dangerously with his eyes narrowed.

The plant like man quickly raised his arms in a placating manner. "Okay, okay, I'll stop."

Naruto seemed to calm down after this and continued. "So what did you need?"

When he heard his master's question, Zetsu seemed to remember that he indeed required his help with something. "Uh, you see, Naruto-sama... I might need a few more _upgrades_ before you leave..."

Naruto stared at his loyal servant for several moments, before it finally clicked to him what he meant by upgrades, prompting him to sigh again. _'I should have done this the first time I 'upgraded' him... that would have spared me from any future headaches...'_

"Alright, let's get this done with, so I can go somewhere where it's tranquil and meditate this headache away" Naruto spoke while walking toward Zetsu.

He would do this and then he would finally be able to go away from this craziness and rest for a while. After everything that he had gone through today, a long session of peaceful meditation would definitely be something welcome.

_**Chapter End**_


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